


Our Mad World

by MisticRays



Category: Mad King Ryan - Fandom, X-Ray and Vav - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Smut, Swearing, Viloence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-04-23 21:35:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4893172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisticRays/pseuds/MisticRays
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kat is an inventor at Monarch Labs and is approached by the CEO, Ryan Haywood, for a job. But what happens when the genius reveals his plans to take over the city? Will Kat still help him out? Even if it meant harming her friends?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Made a Thing, It Got Me a Job

**Author's Note:**

> I know what you're going to say. "But Jenna, if you keep this up you'll be working on too many fics at once!" And my response is this; I CAN'T STOP SEND HELP. Also this chapter is short because I wanted it more for an intro of what's going on. The next one will be longer

I twirled in my chair, waiting for a document to finish downloading so I could review it. I really needed a new computer. The one I had was getting full of junk and slowly down a lot. Plus it was about ten years too old. I was working at Monarch Labs as both an inventor and part time secretary when the full time called in sick. The document I was waiting on held blue prints for a bot I wanted to create. Nothing like Hilda’s Orf but I had the image of the small floating ball in mind when I thought of the idea. I sighed in relief as the blue prints finished downloading and I hit print, wanting to get started right away. Just as she got up and grabbed the paper her door opened, my friend Jack and the CEO of Monarch Labs, Ryan Haywood, walking in. Jack and my labs were connected and the only way to get to his was through mine. It was a really bad fuck up on the builder’s part but we didn’t mind. When Jack saw me he came over, plucking the paper out of my hands.

“Hey Kat,” Jack greeted, looking over the paper. “Oh cool, you got the blue prints.”

“Mmhmm,” I hummed, holding my hand out for them back. “And I’d like to get started.” Ryan stood back a bit, watching out little exchange. He was really handsome and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t developed a little crush on him but I was only a small inventor at Monarch Labs. This was probably the first time he acknowledged my existence.

“I don’t know,” Jack mused. “This might be too tough of a job for you to handle.”

“Go fuck an electric fence Pattillo,” I rolled my eyes.

“My, my,” Jack laughed. “Such strong language for a lady.”

“Go away! I’m busy!” I yelled at him, causing him to laugh again. He handed me the blue prints back.

“Alright, alright we’re going!” Jack backed up, hands in the air. I shook my head and pulled my chestnut hair up in a ponytail, setting to work on making my little friend.

“You see the abuse I have to put up with?” Jack turned to Ryan. “Every day she is like this!”

“I will kill you,” I said quietly. “Slowly, painfully…maybe over the course of a few days.”

“Now she threatens me! In front of the CEO!”

“He probably wants to kill you too,” I snorted.

“Ryan would never do that,” Jack protested.

“Well…” Ryan spoke up.

“Ryan!” Jack pouted.

“Ha,” I said, leaving my work bench to grab something at my desk. I felt eyes on me and glanced up, seeing both Jack and Ryan staring. “Enjoying the show?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m curious in what you’re building,” Ryan replied. “I don’t know why he’s here.” He pointed to Jack.

“You were coming to see what I was building!” Jack said.

“Oh…” Ryan shrugged. “Well then show me. I want to see what she does.” He nodded towards me. Jack sighed but led Ryan into his lab. I stood there, dumbstruck. The CEO wanted to oversee my work? Why? I was only building a dumb helper bot. I shrugged and continued working, getting a frame going before moving on to wiring. I felt a presence and looked beside me, seeing Ryan’s cool blue eyes watching my every move.

“Uh…hi,” I greeted.

“Hello,” his eyes flicked up to mine before back to the wiring I was putting together. “So…what will be the purpose of this?” He asked.

“Well it’s supposed to be a helper bot,” I pointed to the blue prints. “He’ll have arms and hold or carry things. I was thinking of making it so he could do equations as well but I’m not sure about it.”

“Why?”

“Because one day I hope to see my inventions being sold everywhere and every kid could use help with math?” I replied.

“Kitty Kat here wants to take over the world with her inventions,” Jack said as he walked by us.

“Will you stop calling me that?” I demanded. “And no I’m not!”

“Kitty Kat?” Ryan asked.

“It’s his stupid nick name for me,” I sighed. “My full name is Katherine but it’s such a mouthful.”

“Katherine is a beautiful name,” Ryan said quietly. “Would you mind if I called you by that?”

“You can if you want,” I shrugged. I fit the wiring onto the back piece of the bot and screwed it on. The bot was going to be rectangle in shape with four wheels to help it move about. Sure I could make it float or do some other cool shit when it moved but I wanted this to be a thing for kids! A little bot on wheels was exactly the way to go. I attached a voice box to a couple of wires and put it to the side, working on the arms and wheels next. After that I got the ‘brain’ of the robot and set that up, closing up the rest of the sides. The brain held all the information of the internet, working like a computer would so the bot could search things up in its mind and have an answer within seconds. Ryan just stood their quietly, watching everything. When I was finished and stepped close to the table to examine it.

“It’s cute,” he said.

“It’s supposed to be,” I replied. Its eyes were closed at the moment so I switched it on, hoping it would start up okay. “It’s still a prototype though so I’m not sure if it’ll have any bugs or not.”

“Or goody, she’s gonna rule the world with cute little bots. We’re all fucked,” Jack snickered, also coming over to see. “That only took you two hours.” We waited as the bot booted up, its eyes opening.

“Oh…” it blinked, looking around. “I…I seem to be laying down.” It moved its arms, the fingers trying to find the edge of the table. The arms extended as they should and it was able to pull itself up. “Oh! That’s better.”

“Why is it British?” Jack whispered.

“ _He_ is British because that’s how the voice box was made,” I sighed. “I didn’t want a robotic sounding robot so Karl made the voice box.” Karl was another inventor at the lab, often getting asked to do the smaller things for projects. He didn’t mind, preferring that to taking on big tasks. He also tried to make everything British. I had no idea why though.

“Why is everyone staring at me?” The bot asked.

“I’m waiting to see if any problems pop up,” I murmured, picking the bot up and setting him on the ground. He went up to about my knee, which was a perfect size. “Try moving across the room.”

“Okay!” The bot grinning and moved its wheels. It was slow at first but he gained speed, reaching the other wall and then came back again. “How was that?”

“Good,” I replied. “Could you go get that file off of my desk please?” The bot whizzed over, its arms outstretching and grabbing the file I pointed at. He brought it back over and held it up so I wouldn’t have to bend down to get it. “Thank you.”

“Wow kid,” Jack said. “For a prototype he works like a dream.”

“Where did you come up with this?” Ryan asked.

“Well, I was here late one night working on something when I thought it’d be great if I had someone who could help me out so I wouldn’t be going all over the place trying to get things. I figured having this little guy around would be perfect, not only for me but for anyone who could use a helping hand but can’t afford to pay someone all the time,” I explained.

“Amazing,” Ryan breathed. “What are you going to call it?”

“I like the name Edgar!” The bot said, raising his hand up.

“Edgar?” I laughed.

“I found a cute picture of a cow named Edgar! The hairy monster man said I looked cute so I decided to look up cute animals with names. I like Edgar!”

“Hairy monster man?!” Jack cried.

“Jack you can go now,” Ryan waved his friend away. “I believe I need to have a conversation with Miss Katherine about a new job opening.” Jack looked over at Ryan, confused, but then a huge grin split his face.

“You got it!” He said and went back to his lab.

“New job?” I asked.

“It seems I am in need of an…assistant if you will. Someone to help me with my lab work. You will have full use of my lab, whenever you need it. I could use a brain like yours,” Ryan explained.

“You want me to help you with your projects?”

“With on in particular,” he replied. “I need your promise that everything that goes on behind those lab doors stays there. You’ll be paid double what you’re making now and every free moment you have can be spent working on whatever you want.”

“You’re making the assumption that I’m incredibly smart,” I said. I honestly didn’t know how to feel about the offer. It was an incredible achievement in work, to work side by side with the CEO, who was also one of the smartest men I had ever met.

“You built Edgar,” Ryan said. The little bot perked up at hearing his name. “In less than two and a half hours. I’m sure you could do even better things.”

“Miss Katherine!” Edgar called, picking up the name from Ryan. “This offer sounds good and by my calculations you’ll be taking over the company within no time!”

“Uh…didn’t really want to do that,” I replied.

“Oh…well it is a good possibility though!” Edgar grinned and went back to puttering around.

“You know what? I’ll accept that offer,” I turned back to Ryan.

“You will not regret it,” he grinned. “I promise.”


	2. New Day, New Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kat starts working with Ryan, the two finding it easy to work along side each other.

Edgar followed me home, his mechanics making little whirring noises. I shared a flat with my two best friends, Ray and Gavin. They were the town’s ‘superheroes’ X-Ray and Vav and they had tried to hide it from me for a while until I followed them one night to their secret base. They were complete idiots but I loved them. When I got into our flat I saw them sitting on the couch playing a game.

“Sup losers,” I called. “Dinner made?”

“Yeah, Pizza Hut came by five minutes ago,” Ray replied. I rolled my eyes. If I was working late they always got take out so it was basically every night.

“Hey, I want you to meet someone,” I walked into the living room. “Ray, Gavin. Meet Edgar.” Edgar poked his little square head around my legs and looked up at the two guys.

“Ello,” Edgar said quietly.

“He’s British!” Gavin squeaked, happiness written all over his face. “I’m not alone anymore!”

“Awe, he’s cute!” Ray said. “You make him?”

“Yup,” I patted Edgar’s head. “He’s going to be my little helper.”

“Is that why you were so late today?” Ray asked.

“No. I was late because I got a promotion,” I replied, gabbing a slice of pizza from the box in front of them.

“Oh?” Ray and Gavin looked at each other from the corner of their eyes.

“Yeah! Ryan Haywood, the CEO of Monarch Labs, asked me to become his lab partner for some big project he’s got going on. How cool is that?” I rambled, my excitement bubbling over.

“Kat, you have to be careful around him,” Ray said. “We’ve been hearing rumours…”

“And none of them are true,” I snapped. “He is a good man. I don’t know why everybody thinks he has secrets to hide.”

“Because maybe he does!” Ray replied.

“Whatever,” I shook my head. “I am not staying here and listening to your lies. I am going to my room to read.”

“Don’t blame us if you get killed!” Ray called after me. Why did everyone think Ryan was a bad guy? He was sweet and caring and everyone just liked spreading lies in this town. I blamed the reporters. Edgar followed closely behind me, his constant whirring calming me down.

“Why are they being mean to Ryan?” Edgar asked. “I like him.”

“So do I,” I replied. “I just wish everyone else did too.”

“Perhaps we can show them! Maybe this project will help everyone!” Edgar said. I smiled and patted Edgar’s head before grabbing my book and getting comfy on my window seat. I hoped Edgar was right, that what Ryan was making would show everyone how kind he was.

 

The next morning I got u bright and early, excitement zinging through me as I got ready for work. The other two were still sleeping. Spending all night playing video games did that to people. I ate a quick breakfast and had a shower, throwing on jeans and a t-shirt before heading out. Edgar whirred behind me, commenting on everything he saw. I thought it was adorable how he reacted to everything with awe and surprise. We got to Monarch Labs and I headed up to my lab to grab some things.

“There she is!” Jack yelled from his lab. “Miss Kitty Kat moving up the ranks!” Hilda and Orf were in there with him.

“Heard about your offer,” she said, coming over. “Way to go kid. You’ve now got one of the best paying jobs in this company. Is that your bot?”

“Yeah. This is Edgar,” I motioned to the little guy who was looking up at Orf.

“Greetings!” Orf said, flying down so she was eye level with Edgar. “How are you functioning today?”

“Ello,” Edgar said timidly. Orf started whizzing around Edgar’s head, pulling him into a conversation.

“So, what are you doing here? Figured you’d already be upstairs bugging Ryan,” Jack said.

“I came to get some things,” I explained. I went over to the wall and picked up my lab coat, then went to my desk to get some other little gadgets I didn’t want to leave behind. I was basically moving labs so I had to bring my stuff with me. As I put my things in my messenger bag, Ryan walked into the lab, already in a lab coat.

“Ah! There you are,” he said brightly. “Hilda, Jack.” He nodded to the others. “So, Katherine. Are you ready to begin?”

“Yup!” I replied. “Just grabbing some stuff. See you later guys.” I waved to the other two.

“Hey, a bunch of us are going out for lunch today. You should join,” Jack said.

“Sure,” I shrugged. “Edgar.” The little bot whizzed over to me, waving goodbye to Orf. We followed Ryan down a few hallways to an elevator. Monarch Labs had a lot of floors but the top three were used for those who were the back bone of the company when it came to inventing. The fact that, after only one day watching me work, Ryan had invited me to go up there was amazing. We got in the elevator and rode up to the last floor and then headed for Ryan’s lab. There were fewer doors up here, the labs having being built much larger than the ones downstairs. When we got into Ryan’s lab I nearly dropped my bag. It was fucking huge with cool as fuck looking gadgets handing off the walls. The bench space had all the latest tools and it all looked so _shiny_.

“So, I’m dead right?” I asked. “I died and this is heaven?” Ryan laughed.

“No you are not dead,” he replied. “Welcome to my lab. Everything in here is now yours to play with. Just please, do not burn the building down.”

“Ah, so you’ve heard of that little incident have you?” I chuckled. When I first started at the Labs one of my inventions went wrong and I ended up setting fire to my lab. It was small but I still felt horrible over it.

“There is a small office space over there,” he pointed to a side room. “Another desk will be moved in for you. Now, as I said yesterday, I need to know that everything that happens in this room will stay here. I can’t let my inventions fall into the wrong hands.” He turned towards me, staring my straight in the eye.

“I promise,” I said.

“Good,” Ryan smiled. “So, you can go put your things in the office and we’ll get started.” I nodded and headed over to the room, dropping my bag in a corner and pulling my coat on. I walked back out, finding Ryan laying some papers down on the bench. I walked over and peeked over his shoulder, seeing blue prints and notes.

“So what is it that we’re building?” I asked.

“We,” Ryan pointed to a blue print of a gun. “Are building this. The government contacted me, wanting a weapon that will end wars before they even begin. I’ve got a basic design but it needs to pack a powerful punch. The gun will have different settings, making it so only one weapon is needed.”

“I didn’t know we did things like this for the government,” I said.

“We don’t but they won’t take no for an answer,” Ryan shook his head. “This is why I hate government officials. They pull all the strings to get what they want.” I looked over the blue prints, putting a mental imagine together of how the final product would look. After a moment I started looking around the lab. Ryan noticed and raised an eye brow. “What’s up?”

“How are you making the frame?” I asked.

“Metal for the most part. Maybe something a bit stronger to withstand what the gun needs to do. Why?”

“And what is the gun going to do exactly?”

“Well, for the most part it will act as a normal gun. I’m thinking of having it shoot ice or fire as well. Just to spice things up.”

“Hm…” I leaned against the counter and thought.

“My calculations show that the chances of this product working are low!” Edgar chirped up, having pulled one of the blueprints down.

“Why do you say that?” Ryan asked him.

“Because in order to have it work as a normal gun and something else the design needs to be bigger,” I replied. “You make something too small and everything gets cramped up. It won’t work properly or it’ll jam up.” I saw some blank paper and grabbed it, getting a pencil while I was at it. I started drawing a new design, trying to keep as close to what Ryan had. The end result looked like a normal shot gun, maybe a bit smaller, and it would function like a normal shot gun as well. “Bullets…” I mumbled, thinking.

“Bullets?” Ryan was peering over my shoulder.

“Well…instead of over complicating the gun we could make special bullets,” I explained. “Ones that explode on impact, either burning the target or freezing it. But they’d have to be a bit bigger to fit in the right amount…” I added a huge cylinder so it would match the size bullets we would need. When I was done I stepped back and let Ryan really look at the drawing.

“Okay, I see where you’re going with this,” Ryan said, studying it. “I like it. Okay. I’ll send in a request to have the frame made and then we can get working on the bullet designs. You get started on that and I’ll be right back.” I nodded and turned back to the table, thinking of how the bullets would work. I came up with a few fast designs, one looking like a needle and another looking like a regular bullet but with something easily breakable on the very top. I felt a hand on my back and jumped, looking up to see Ryan.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said quietly.

“It’s okay,” I shrugged. I moved the paper over to him so he could see.

“They look easy enough to make,” Ryan said. “What would be put on this one?” He pointed to the one that was supposed to break easily.

“Not sure yet.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Ryan nodded. He pointed to a corner when I wrote ‘chemicals?’. “You want to use chemicals?”

“It might be easier for the burning effect,” I replied. “Something that would induce a slow burn over time.”

“You are evil,” Ryan grinned. We spent the rest of the morning going over ideas. Eventually we settled on making both types of bullets to try out and then go from there. When lunch came around Ryan waved me away, saying he had some other things to attend to. I grabbed my bag and hurried downstairs, meeting Jack and Hilda at the front doors. I instructed Edgar to stay up in the lab and to help Ryan out if he needed it. Edgar was more than happy to do so.

“Hey Kat,” Jack greeted. “No Edgar?”

“Nah, he’s helping Ryan out,” I replied. “So, what’s lunch?”

“Well, we’re waiting for Geoff and then we were thinking of pizza,” Hilda said.

“Sounds good to me,” I wasn’t one to turn down pizza.

“Hey guys!” Geoff came up behind me and threw an arm over me. “Ready to go?” We headed out and walked down to the pizzeria that was only a few blocks away from the building. We grabbed a table and ordered a large pizza, figuring it’d be enough for all of us. Jack, Hilda and Geoff all squeezed into one side and I didn’t know why until Geoff started talking. “So, Kat. Heard you got bumped up.” Geoff said.

“Yeah, I started today.”

“What’s it like?” They all turned to look at me. “I hear it’s full of unicorns and elves.”

“Uh…no,” I laughed. Everybody came up with huge stories of what the top three floors were like. Unicorns were a big hit among them. “But he does have amazing equipment.”

“Awe man,” Hilda sighed. “I can’t believe how lucky you are.”

“Yeah, especially for someone so young in the company,” Geoff shook his head. “Us old farts have been trying for years for the higher ups to notice us and it takes you one day! While building a fucking bot!”

“Some people are born with talent Geoffrey,” a new voice spoke up. “Katherine, here, is one such person.” I looked up and saw Ryan smiling down at me, a pizza box in his hands

“Well lookie here! He’s come out of his cave!” Geoff said. “Come to join us for lunch?”

“I was only here to pick something up but I shall,” Ryan sat beside me.

“Where’s Edgar?” I frowned, looking for my bot. I had only built him yesterday but the little guy had grown on me.

“He’s back at the lab,” Ryan replied. “He’ll be fine.”

“So what are you guys working on?” Hilda asked. “I mean, if the smartest man in the company needs help with it then it must be something big.”

“All good things to those who wait,” Ryan replied.

“No fair!” Geoff grumbled. “You get to know everything we’re up to!”

“Meh,” Ryan shrugged. The other three huffed and sat back while I snickered. Our pizza came and we dug in, finishing it off in no time.

“Back to work we go!” Jack sang linking arms with me and Hilda. Geoff took Hilda’s other side. The four of us had grown closer over my few years of working at Monarch Labs and, even though she tried so hard to have no emotions, we pulled Hilda out of her shell and she eventually became more comfortable doing crazy things. Although it was sometimes hard for her to not be annoyed at how childish Geoff and Jack could act.

“If you start singing ‘Hi-ho’…” Geoff began.

“Geoff please,” Jack shook his head. “I am a scientist! Of course I’m going to start singing that!” I burst out laughing.

“No, no, no,” I giggled. “You have it all wrong. Scientists are supposed to hate fun! Like Hilda. She is a proper example of one.”

“Excuse me?” Hilda looked over at me. “I can have fun.”

“Hilda, you spend weekends working in the lab,” Ryan pointed out.

“Aha! I was right!” I grinned. We got back to the Labs pretty quickly and parted ways, Ryan and I heading back upstairs.

“So, did you get everything called in?” I asked on the ride up.

“Mmhmm,” Ryan hummed. “Should be here within a few weeks.”

“So I was thinking,” I started and launched into what kind of chemicals we could use for the bullets. It would be tricky finding the right mixture so we didn’t accidently melt the bullets or the gun. I also didn’t want them to kill the target, just make it easier to catch up to them because, knowing the government, the guns would likely be given to police to use as well. If the army had any need for them then the mixture could be hyped up a bit which would hopefully take out everyone within moments.

“I like the way your brain works,” Ryan commented as he sat at his desk, writing notes down. I was leaning against the side, my arms crossed and I went over my different reasoning’s. Edgar was ‘dozing’ in the corner, small snoring sounds coming from him. I had no idea that it was programmed into the voice box. It was adorable.

“Oh trust me I’ve already come up with five other ways to make this gun the most dangerous weapon all of humanity has ever seen,” I shook my head. “I’m starting to think I should looking into being an evil genius.”

“If you were we’d probably all be dead by now,” Ryan chuckled, head still bent over his notes.

“Not all of you,” I mused. “Only the _really_ annoying people.”

“Everyone is really annoying,” Ryan said.

“Okay. Then you’re all fucked.” Ryan threw his head back and laughed, almost maniacally.

“I like you,” he said after he calmed down.

“Hm, first day on the job and the boss likes me,” I said. “Job security is now one hundred percent.”

“And if you keep up the good work then maybe I’ll consider you for if I ever decide to step down,” Ryan pushed away from his desk. “But that will probably never happen.”

“You think I could take over the company?” I asked. “For, like, one day? That way I could fire you and take your job.”

“You’re treading on rough waters there sweetheart,” Ryan chuckled.

“What are you going to do about it?” I challenged, a grin pulling at my lips.

“Just wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going to have them banter like that for the rest of the fic. Also, X-RAY AND VAAAAAAAV


	3. Things are Perfect...I Think

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine couldn't be happier. Work is going amazingly, her boss is an awesome guy, what could go wrong?

When I got home, the boys were gone. A note on the fridge told me there was a robbery taking place and they went to go help the cops out. Sweet, living room was mine for the night. I made myself some dinner and settled down on the couch, Edgar pulling himself up beside me. I switched to the news and saw the Mayor making a statement about the crime rates and how they were working on it. Apparently they thought it was all devised by one person, the crimes too organized to be just some dumb kids. They also found a certain calling card at each crime scene. A broken crown in a circle.

“Looks like X-Ray and Vav have some work cut out for them,” I said and started flipping through the channels, settling on a movie. I had seen it before but it was too good to pass up. As I munched away on my dinner, Edgar sat beside me, quietly whirring, and sometimes asking questions about the movie.

“Why are they doing that?” Edgar pointed to the screen where the main characters were kissing.

“Um…” Oh god. I had to explain love to a robot. How does one do that? “Well, when two people like each other a lot they do…that.” To be honest I wasn’t really well versed in the love universe so this was going to be fun.

“Why?”

“Because when you love someone you tend to get more…intimate with them?” I needed to stop. “When you’re older you’ll understand.” Did I seriously just say that to a fucking robot?!

“Okay,” Edgar replied. I sunk lower in my seat, my face burning. What has my life become? The boys walked in just then, whooping about how they had caught another bad guy.

“Hey losers,” I called.

“Sup bitch!” Ray ruffled my hair. “Come on, tell us we’re awesome.”

“You’re ugly and I hate you,” I replied.

“No. No, that’s not how you say it.”

“Movie!” Gavin yelled and flopped on the floor.

“Food!” Ray yelled and grabbed a plate, filling it up with the dinner I had made. Typical Thursday night.

 

The next few days passed like a dream. For me anyways. Ray and Gavin were going all round town, trying to stop whatever crime was happening. They were picking up like crazy and the boys were often out late. All the crimes had the same calling card however. That dumb crown. The police were calling him Mad King. King for the crown and Mad because they figured anyone who wanted to devise this many crimes was insane. I tried to be supportive of Ray and Gavin though, as much as I could but they were still grumpy over the fact that they couldn’t catch this guy. Work was starting to become a safe haven for me. I was able to work freely until the gun arrived, but that wasn’t for another week or so. The bullets had come in and they were the perfect size. I just needed something to fill them with. Ryan was in and out of the lab, always saying he had things to attend to.

“Being CEO of a giant company hardly gives you free time,” he had grumbled one day. Whenever he could work though, it was always fun. We joked around a lot and would often join the others for lunch before heading right back into work. Today wasn’t any different. I was sitting in the office, trying to come up with the perfect solution for the bullets, when Ryan walked in wearing…a kilt and a suit top.

“Nice legs,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“Thanks, I’ve been working on them,” he rolled his eyes and sat down. “I have a formal event I need to attend to later today. You’ll be okay by yourself?”

“Nope. I’m totally planning on destroying your lab.”

“Just save the files and you’re good to go,” Ryan replied. Edgar rolled into the office, looking up at Ryan. “Hey little guy. What’s up?”

“What is love?” Edgar asked.

“God damn it,” I slammed my head into the desk. “Out of all the things you could remember and ask my boss.” I groaned.

“Um…I think I need an explanation?” Ryan chuckled.

“I was watching a movie the other night,” I started.

“Romance?”

“Sort of.”

“I see,” Ryan chuckled again. “What did you tell him?”

“He’ll understand when he’s older,” I groaned. Ryan was silent for a moment before bursting out laughing. I waited for him to calm down, which took a few minutes, before peeking over at him through my hair.

“You,” Ryan said between giggles. “Are really something else.”

“I’m not cut out to be a parent,” I said. “If I ever have kids I fear for their future.”

“Ah, you’re still a kid yourself,” Ryan shrugged. “You can learn all the ways to have that talk in no time.” He grinned and I sighed.

“I’m not _that_ young,” I grumbled, finally lifting my face up from my desk.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-nine,” I replied.

“You do not look twenty-nine,” Ryan said.

“Yeah well,” I shrugged. “My family tends to look younger than they really are. My aunt is fifty-five and still looks thirty.”

“That’s not a bad thing,” Ryan turned to his computer. “Most people would die to look younger and you get it by genetics.”

“I was once mistaken for a twelve year old,” I said offhandedly, causing Ryan to laugh again.

“Okay, I need to hear this one.”

 

Ryan ended up leaving around noon, promising to try and pop in again before I left for the day. I had finally decided on making explosive ice pellets, ones that would activate on impact. It was good research for the project Ryan and I were working on too so that was an added bonus. All I needed to do was mix the right chemicals and contain them in an easy to break holder. The first batch didn’t take too long but the result wasn’t what I wanted. I was hoping for at least some actual ice to form but instead all I got was a blast of cold air. I tinkered around a bit with the chemicals, accidently freezing everything in the beaker, including the beaker itself. I stayed at work long after I was supposed to go home, eventually finding something I hoped would work. Grabbing a test dummy from the side of the room, I lobbed a few pellets at it. Each broke when they hit and fucking ice formed.

“Fuck yes!” I whooped. I heard voices coming down the hall and guessed it was Ryan. I walked over to the door, wanting to show him what I had made when I heard the conversation.

“Get the job done. Those two so called superheroes are nothing but a small annoyance,” it was Ryan’s voice. “X-Ray and Vav won’t be bothering us for long.” X-Ray and Vav? Why was he talking about them?

“Of course Mad King,” a new voice replied. “Already we have made over two hundred thousand dollars with these heists. Soon, we will have enough to begin the plan.”

“Good,” Ryan said. “The girl and I have called in the new weapon and we begin testing soon. Make sure the others are ready for when the time is right. This city will soon be ours.” The door opened then and Ryan stepped through, pausing when he saw me standing there. He was wearing the same outfit he’d had on before except this time a cracked crown sat crookedly on his head. The man behind him gasped and pulled a gun out, pointing it at me. “What are you still doing here?” Ryan demanded.

“I-I was working,” I stuttered. “I made a formula for the…the bullets…” My eyes went from Ryan to the man behind him.

“How much did you hear?!” The stranger asked.

“I-”

“Leave us!” Ryan snapped, cutting me off. He slammed the door shut behind him and turned back to me. “Oh Katherine. I was hoping to have this conversation at a better time.” He walked to the table and looked at the pellets sitting there, grabbing a few before throwing them across the room. “Very nice.” He praised when the chemicals burst from the ball and formed ice around the area they hit.

“W-why were you talking about X-Ray and Vav?” I asked quietly.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Ryan started. “I wasn’t sure how trustworthy you could be. I know a few days is hardly enough time to make a decision but I feel as if you are completely different from anyone else.” He turned towards me and took a step forward, making me step back. This continued until I bumped up against the wall. Ryan placed his hands on either side of me, caging me in. There was a look in his eyes that I didn’t like. They were wild, the pupils blown wide. “Tell me, what do you know about the recent outbreak in crimes?”

“They think one person is behind it all…” I whispered. My eyes flashed up to the crown on his head and fear shot through me. _A calling card in the shape of a broken crown in a circle._ Ryan lowered his head so he was closer to my ear.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered, his lips brushing against my skin. “You see, I really need a mind like yours. Someone who can help me achieve what I want. Someone with passion and a driving need to succeed in life.” His hands moved to my waist and gripped me gently. “Katherine, your promise still holds, right? Nothing leaves this room.” His grip tightened a little bit and I found myself nodding.

“Katherine,” Edgar came up beside us. “What’s going on? You look scared.”

“Don’t worry Edgar,” Ryan said, pulling away. “Miss Katherine is just in shock. She’ll be back to normal in no time.”

“I don’t understand,” I spoke up. “You…you’re the CEO of Monarch Labs. Why would you start crimes all around the city like that? You have practically everything you could ever want! And…oh god is that gun even for the government?” I demanded.

“Yes,” Ryan replied. “But for me as well. As for why I’m doing this…when I look around the city I see idiots. Those same idiots are what cause us to fall into chaos and destruction. What this world needs is a new leader. Someone smarter than the rest of them.”

“Someone like you…” I whispered.

“Exactly! Someone like me,” Ryan smiled but it was cold and mocking. “I’m known as the Mad King around here. True, I’m just starting out but already my crown is known to the entire police force and no doubt your two superhero buddies.” My face paled as I thought of X-Ray and Vav. “Oh yes, I know all about them. Two blundering idiots who can’t do a thing and yet the town calls them heroes. How sad.”

“They deserve that title!” I snapped. “Those two have done more than anybody else to help out!”

“Please,” Ryan rolled his eyes. “Those two do more damage than good. But _I_ can really change this city. _I_ can give the people what they really want. And _you’re_ going to help me!” He laughed, but it was more of an evil cackle really.

“No!” I yelled. “I won’t help you do anything! God I’ve already done enough!” I buried my head in my hands, tears falling from my eyes. What have I done? I helped an apparently evil maniac design a dangerous gun and now the city was in danger. I wouldn’t be able to face my friends anymore. If they found out I was the one who made this happen…I slid to the floor and landed with a thud. Ray and Gavin would never forgive me. I’d lose my job and be kicked out of my apartment and I had no one to blame but myself.

Warm arms wrapped around me and I jumped, looking up at Ryan who was pulling me against him. His hand started going through my hair gently, trying to soothe me.

“It’s a lot to take in, I know,” he whispered. “However you are way too deep in this now, darling. I don’t think escape is possible anymore. I will promise you this, however. As long as you continue working here and helping me, no harm will come to you. Your friends will remain in the shadows, your job will be secure, and when I do eventually obtain my goal you will be right there beside me. My entire kingdom will be yours.”

“I don’t want that,” I whispered.

“Well you have it and you’re stuck with it,” Ryan said, helping me stand up. “Because if you even think of betraying me I will have you thrown in jail and trust me when I say you will not like it.”

“So you’re going to hold me here against my will.”

“You can leave,” Ryan motioned to the door. “You just have to come back.”

“Katherine’s heart rate is raising at an unhealthy level,” Edgar said. “Mister Ryan, I do believe you should stop scaring her. At this rate she will have health issues.”

“Thank you Edgar,” Ryan patted the bots head. “Why don’t you go into the office?” Edgar nodded and headed over there. “He’s such a caring little bot isn’t he?” Ryan said fondly, staring after Edgar. He turned back to me and concern flashed on his face. “Are you alright? You’re quite pale.”

“I just found out my boss is a crazed crime lord who wants to basically take over the world and is threatening me to help him,” I said. “Of course I’m not alright!”

“Perhaps you would like to join me for dinner and we could talk about this?” Ryan suggested.

“This is not happening,” I ran my hand through my hair. “This cannot be seriously happening.”

“What, me asking you on a date?”

“Yes! You just fucking threatened me! You think I want to go anywhere with you?!” I demanded. Wait, did he say date?

“It will be in public if that makes it any better,” Ryan shrugged. “I’ve come to enjoy your company quite a lot, Katherine. I had been hoping to ask you out for dinner for a while now. I wanted to…start a courtship with you.”

“Oh dear god,” I buried my head in my hands again.

“Is it really so bad?” Ryan asked quietly, taking my hands and pulling them away from my face. “Hm? We get along really well, we both have interests in the same things…it could work out.” He gently kissed my knuckles, gazing up at me through his eyelashes.

“This is turning into Hannibal and I don’t like it,” I pulled away and headed into the office, grabbing my things. “Come, Edgar.” Edgar followed closely behind me, trying to stay away from Ryan as much as possible. Just as I reached the door Ryan grabbed my hand and spun me around.

“Just think about it,” he said quietly. “Please.” He let me go and I hurried from the room. I practically ran back home, Edgar having a hard time keeping up. When I made it, the boys were already gone. I slammed the door shut and locked it, sliding to the ground.

“What is going on Katherine?” Edgar asked, nudging me with his hand.

“Nothing good,” I replied. I felt sick to the stomach, my mind spinning in different directions. I was being forced to help a maniac and he had fucking feelings for me. I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t feel something towards him. He was right, we got along great. Working with him was amazing and he had seemed like such a sweet and caring guy. Now…it was too much for me. I didn’t know what to think. I went to bed without dinner that night, not really hungry. However, I didn’t sleep a wink. My mind was too busy going ninety miles an hour and I couldn’t relax. I kept thinking he’d show up and try to do something. When morning came I dreaded what was going to happen next. I tried to come up with an excuse of why I couldn’t go to work. Something. Anything.

“Hey! Kitty Kat!” Ray yelled, throwing my door open so it banged against my wall. “Wake up bitch. Your boss is here. Says he needs to talk to you.”

“Ray! That is no way to wake someone up!” Gavin called from the living room.

“Ryan’s here?” I asked.

“That’s what I said,” Ray shrugged. “Don’t know why. He said it was important.”

“Okay…”

“You okay? You look sick,” Ray came over to me and placed a hand on my forehead. We may insult each other all the time but we really did care for each other and worried over the other. Ray was like an older brother to me, as was Gavin.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I shook his hand off. “Get out so I can get changed.”

“What? I bet Mr. CEO wants to see you in your pjs!” Ray called as he walked down the hallway. I grabbed the nearest thing, which turned out to be a book, and threw it at him. It landed in the middle of his back. “OW! You fucking bitch! I was kidding!” Ray glared at me. I slammed the door shut and quickly changed, just throwing on a simple shirt and jeans. When I came out, Ryan was sitting at our counter/bar, sipping coffee and looking more like a normal person. He was wearing dark jeans and a black t-shirt that hugged his body.

“Good morning, love!” Gavin bounced over to me and handed me a mug.

“Don’t ‘good morning’ her! She broke my back!” Ray was currently laying on the couch, a controller in his hands.

“You deserved it,” I grumbled, sipping my coffee.

“What, I can’t joke in my own home?” Ray threw his hands up, mock outrage written on his face.

“Not when it’s concerning me,” I turned to Ryan who was watching all of this with a smirk on his face. “And is there a reason you’re here?” I asked.

“Whoa, someone is a bit grumpy today,” Gavin said, slipping around me to head back to the kitchen.

“It’s quite alright,” Ryan replied. “We all have those days. I was wondering if I could borrow Miss Katherine for the day.” He smiled warmly at me but I just glared back. No way in hell was I trusting him.

“Well I was going to kick her ass in a few rounds of Halo but whatever. Gavin can substitute,” Ray shrugged.

“I’m not really feeling up to going out today,” I said quietly.

“What?” Gavin squawked. “If your boss is willing to take you out some place other than work, I’d take it!” Ryan got up and walked over to me, slowly, offering his hand.

“Please? I just want to talk,” Ryan said. His piercing blue eyes were somehow softer today, a pleading look in them. Sighing, I drank the rest of my coffee and went to grab my bag before following him out the door.

“You two kids have fun!” Ray called after us. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

“Take care of Edgar,” I replied. Ryan and I walked down the hallway in silence towards the elevator. I didn’t know what he wanted but at the first sign of trouble I was leaving. When we got down to the lobby, Ryan led me to his car. It was sleek and black with the windows tinted. I hesitated getting in, my chances of escape getting thinner and thinner.

“I promise you nothing bad will happen,” Ryan said, opening the door for me. I waited a moment longer before finally getting in. On the dashboard was a rose with my name written on a tag tied to the stem. I picked it up and twirled it in my fingers, smelling its soft perfume. “For yesterday.” Ryan said. “I realise that things could have gone smoother and that I didn’t exactly pick the best moment to unload all of that on you. I apologize.”

“You do realise that a rose isn’t going to change my mind, right?” I turned to him.

“I know,” he said, almost sadly. Before I knew it he grabbed my chin and pulled me towards him, kissing me softly. His lips were warm and soft, moving against mine expertly. When we pulled away he had a small smile on his face. “That,” he said. “Is the start of my courting you.”

“That’s not going to work either!” I nearly shouted, pulling away from him.

“It will,” he chuckled. I sat back in my seat and crossed my arms, already wanted to go back to my room. “Oh don’t pout, darling. I won’t do that again. For today.” I ignored him, instead choosing to glare out the window as we drove off. Today was going to be long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wanted her to find out pretty early who Ryan really was and I think I did an okay job. Now it's just to get from here to where I want to be and we'll be good to go!


	4. Date the Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kat is finding it harder and harder to resist Ryan.

Ryan took me to a nearby coffee shop, leading me to a table and getting my order before heading up to the counter. I sat there in uncomfortable silence, not liking how the day was going. I wondered that Ryan told the higher ups so he could get both him and myself the day off but I wasn’t going to worry about it. Really there wasn’t much for me to do now since we had to wait for the gun…That gun was going to be the death of me. So was Ryan for that matter. Speaking of which, I glanced over towards the counter to see Ryan walking back with a tray. He set it down in front of me, handing me my coffee and my go to snack, a slice of lemon bread with raspberry jam in the middle, and sat across from me.

“So,” Ryan began. “You must have a lot of questions.”

“So far only two,” I replied. “What to call you and why me?”

“You can still call me Ryan. The only time you’d call me Mad King is when we’re in the lab or around my staff. Even then you can still call me Ryan,” he shrugged. “As for why you…I was intrigued when I first met you. Witty, smart and beautiful. I think I fell in love with you as you worked on little Edgar. How you’d bite your lip in concentration or smile softly when something went right. I had to have you come work with me. Not only to get to know you better, but I knew you’d be perfect for the job. You strive for the perfect outcome. The project was made for you.” I tried to ignore the falling in love bit as much as I could but it was hard with him staring at me so intensely, his blue eyes burning with passion as he spoke. To buy myself time I took a sip of my coffee, loving how the hot liquid felt going down.

“What started all of this?” I asked. “Why decide to take over the city?”

“Because I’m tired of how things are being run,” Ryan sighed. “For generations we’ve been fucking ourselves. I want to make this world my kingdom, rule it how I see fit. I will start all the wars I have to in order to achieve it. This city is my first step. Once I have everyone here behind me, I’ll move to the next one, and the next one after that.”

“Who’s to say people will go for this?”

“Oh trust me,” Ryan smirked. “They will. It’s either that or…the other choice.”

“Which is…?” I didn’t like where this was going.

“Death.” I looked at him for a second before getting up and walking out of the café. I hurried down the sidewalk, trying to put as much distance between me and him. My breathing turned shallow, my eyes watering. I wrapped my arms around myself and tried to calm down. I turned down onto an empty street, slowing my pace. Just when I thought it was safe enough someone grabbed me from behind and hauled me into an alley, clamping a hand over my mouth so I couldn’t scream. I tried to fight back but they were stronger than me. I was thrown against the wall and I looked up, seeing a man in a mask pointing a gun at me.

“Oh come on!” I groaned.

“Just give me everything you got and I won’t hurt you!” The man said. Out of all the days this could have happened. I slowly reached into my purse and brought my wallet down.

“I don’t have any cash on me,” I informed him, showing him my empty wallet.

“Well then I guess you’re no good to me, are you sweetheart?” I heard the click of the gun being loaded and squeezed my eyes shut. I was going to die in an alley. _Well it’s a way out of the whole Mad King business,_ I thought. I heard something whizzing through the air, and I cracked one eye open, seeing a gold crown flying towards the guy. It hit his hand and he dropped the gun, swearing. Ryan stood at the entrance of the alleyway, rage written all over his face.

“I’m sorry,” his voice was deathly cold, emotion completely gone from it. “Did I interrupt something?” He started stalking towards the man, backing him up into a corner.

“Mad King,” the man breathed.

“That’s right,” Ryan purred. “And guess what? You just threatened a dear friend of mine.” The man’s eyes flashed to me and back to Ryan.

“Oh god…I’m so sorry I didn’t know! I swear I didn’t know! Please…please don’t kill me!” The man begged, falling to his knees.

“But you were going to kill her,” Ryan pointed out. “All because she couldn’t give you money. I don’t think that’s fair.” Ryan walked over to me and picked up the gun, giving me a wink before turning back around. “So here’s how this is going to work. I’m going to count to three and then I’m going to pull the trigger. Okay?”

“No!” The man cried, getting up. He started running for the street.

“One,” Ryan pulled the trigger and hit the man’s leg. He fell to the ground, crying out in pain. “Two.” The gun went off again, this time hitting the man in the middle of this back. “Three.” The final shot hit his head and the man fell silent. I sat there, breathing heavily, and watched as Ryan cleaned the gun off and then dropped it in a dumpster beside him. He then turned to me, took in my appearance and slowly made his way over. He picked up his crown and set it on his head before offering me his hand. I took it and he pulled me up, wrapping his arms around me. I buried my face in his shoulder, not wanting to look at the body.

“Are you okay?” Ryan asked, rubbing small circles into my back.

“I think so,” I whispered. “He threw me against the wall but it wasn’t hard enough to cause any damage.”

“Come,” he started pulling me out of the alley, stepping around the body, and to his awaiting car. He helped me in before jogging over to the other side and climbing in. He sped off down the streets and I soon became lost as to where we were. Houses lined the streets, all of them expensive looking. Ryan pulled into one of the driveways, stopping in front of the door. He killed the engine and got out, coming around to open my door.

“Where are we?” I asked, looking around. It was a two storey house that was painted a light yellow.

“It’s my house,” Ryan replied, unlocking his front door and stepping aside so I could go through. The inside was absolutely beautiful. The walls were painted cream, the hardwood floors a dark chocolate. There were stairs to my immediate left, leading up. A hallway in front of me led to what looked like the kitchen. There was another entrance that broke off from the main hallway and I could see the edges of a TV screen through that. Ryan took my hand and led me to that room, setting me down on the couch before heading to the kitchen. I heard the clinking of ice hitting glass and then Ryan was back, carrying a glass of juice. “Here. The sugar will help.” He handed it to me.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, taking a sip. Ryan sat next to me and waited for some colour to come back to my face.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he finally said. “If there was one thing I wished not to show you, it was that side of me. Talking about it is one thing but actually seeing me in that state…you’re probably terrified of me now.”

“No…” I said slowly, setting the now empty glass on the counter. “Not terrified. Greatful.” Ryan looked over at me, confused. “You saved my life.”

“And not even twenty minutes ago you were running away in fear because I mentioned killing people,” Ryan said. “You need to get your priorities straight.”

“I think I’m in shock,” I replied. “Once that wears off I’ll be back to running away in fear from you.”

“I don’t want you to,” Ryan grabbed my hand. “I don’t want to play this cat and mouse game. I want to go back to the way we were. I want us to continue the relationship we had. I don’t want to see that fear in your eyes. That’s not what I wanted.”

“What did you think was going to happen?” I asked quietly. “When you finally told me? You had me working on a weapon you were going to use against this city. Against the entire world. You threatened me and my friends…did you honestly believe that I was just going to go with it? Say ‘oh well’ and turn my back?”

“I was hoping you’d understand…” Ryan said, just as quietly. He got up and walked out of the room, heading up the stairs. I heard a door close and then silence. I sat there, thinking, for a few moments. He wanted to change the world, just like everyone else. The only problem was Ryan wanted to use death and destruction to gain his power. Yes, the world was run by corrupted people who blamed each other for their problems. The only solution to these problems seemed to be war which cause so many innocents to die…Maybe Ryan was on to something. He…he could make it better. He just needed a push in the right direction.

Eventually I got up and slowly made my way upstairs. There was a long hallway, all cream and dark brown, with doors on either side. Only one was closed however and I hesitantly made my way over to it, knocking lightly on the wood.

“You can come in.” Was mumbled through the door and I opened it, poking my head in. The room was an office, a huge desk sitting on one side, bookshelves right beside it. A floor to ceiling window was behind the desk and Ryan was standing in front of it, looking out onto the city.

“Look I am never going to understand why you want to basically destroy the world,” I said. “I’m never going to understand the madness that is spreading through your mind. But if you can promise that nobody will get hurt or killed…I’ll help you.”

“Unfortunately that is something I can’t promise,” Ryan replied. “In this world it’s either kill or be killed. There will be those who try to stop me using…drastic measures and its only human nature to fight back. I will promise, however, that unless it is the only option I will try not to harm anyone. But again, human nature is a powerful thing. Fight or flight. You can only guess what some will do.”

“I guess that’s good enough,” I sighed.

“And what about us?” Ryan finally turned around, his blue eyes piercing into mine.

“Us?” I repeated.

“Have you given any thought to me? About furthering our relationship? I will keep trying, you know,” Ryan warned. He started walking towards me, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’m not one to give up on something I want. Until the day I die I will woo you, I will sweep you off your feet. Flowers, dinner, dancing…” He stopped right in front of me, just inches away, letting his fingers ghost over my arms. “I will surprise you with small gifts and kisses. I will grab your hand at random moments and hold it for no reason.” To prove his point he reached down and took both of my hands, entwining our fingers together.

“And if I don’t want that?” I whispered.

“Then I’ll stop,” Ryan replied, leaning closer to me. “But you have to ask me to stop.” He captured my lips in his, kissing me softly. He let go of my hands and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer. My arms slowly went up and wrapped around his neck, my body pressing against his. He lifted me up and carried me to his desk, setting me down onto it and settling himself between my legs. I should have stopped it, should have pushed him away, but the feeling of his lips on mine was making me dizzy and I didn’t want it to end. I was slowly losing myself to the feeling of him kissing me, everything else falling away until it was just him and me. I was so fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I’m never going to understand the madness that is spreading through your mind"   
> "Madness...spreading"  
> "Spreading Madness" Aha! I see what you did there I am so lame please don't hate me


	5. Conflicting Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kat is troubled by the things people have told her. Is everything Ryan saying a lie? Or does he truly feel something for her?

I spent the rest of the day at Ryan’s house. He didn’t touch me after our heavy make out session in his office and that was totally fine with me. Instead we watched a few movies, ordered a pizza and had a…somewhat normal date. It was nice. He was nice. We talked for a bit and I got to know more about his past, how he got into inventing, where he grew up, that sort of stuff. As it grew closer to dinner Ryan drove me home, walking me up to my door.

“So…the gun came in,” he said quietly, looking at me from the corner of his eye. “I was thinking…maybe tomorrow we could work on the bullets.”

“Okay,” I nodded. When we reached my door, Ryan spun me around and pushed me up against the wall, closing me in.

“See you tomorrow then,” he whispered before giving me a searing kiss. We were interrupted when my door burst open and Ray and Gavin came tumbling out of the flat, wrestling each other.

“Now look what you’ve done Ray!” Gavin cried.

“Aha! I knew it! They were up to improper stuff!” Ray yelled, pushing Gavin off of him.

“I’m so sorry,” Gavin sighed, getting up and brushing himself off. “I tried to stop him!”

“It’s quite alright, I was leaving anyways,” Ryan replied smoothly. He turned back to me and gave me a wink. “Until tomorrow.” He walked down the hallway whistling, his hands shoved into his jeans. Once he was gone I rounded on the other two, crossing my arms and glaring at them.

“You were waiting for us?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well you were gone all day,” Ray shrugged. “I figured you two were off banging and I wanted to make sure he was a proper gentleman.”

“Ray,” I groaned, heading into our flat.

“Anyways, we can’t stay,” Gavin said. “We just got a call. Someone broke into the museum and stole a pretty big diamond!”

“Really?” I froze.

“Yeah,” Ray nodded. “And guess what was found at the scene of the crime?”

“A crown?” I asked.

“Yup,” Gavin said. “Mad King is at it again. This one is tricky. Whoever he is, he must have air tight alibies so nobody suspects him.”

“Yeah…”

“Anyways, we’re off!” Ray said, the two waving to me. “Edgar is in your room reading.” They slammed the door shut behind them. I turned back to the empty room, thinking. A robbery, on the same day Ryan came to see me. Well, glad to know where I fit in the grand scheme of things. Used as an alibi…maybe that was the only reason he wanted me around today.

“Katherine!” Edgar came whizzing out of my room. “You’re home! Did you have fun today?”

“Um…I guess ‘fun’ is a word you could use,” I said, going to sit on the couch.

“What is wrong?” Edgar pulled himself up beside me.

“I’m just really confused right now,” I replied.

“Why?”

“Because I’m being told two different things and I’m not sure which one to believe,” I sighed.

“Which one do you want to believe?” Edgar asked.

“I don’t know,” I folded my legs under me. “If I believe the first one then I’ve got a very big problem on my hands…but if I believe the second one then I’ve been used and lied to.”

“But why would someone lie to you?”

“Because they want something,” I explained. “Something that they need help getting but they can’t be seen getting it and so they have to lie to everyone in order to gain that thing. Including me…”

“Maybe Ryan can help!” Edgar suggested.

“Ryan is the one causing all of this,” I replied.

“Oh…” Edgar was quiet for a moment. “He loves you, you know. He kept talking about you the other day, saying how beautiful and smart and funny you are. He said that if there was one person he could choose to be by his side forever, it would be you.”

“He told you all of that?” I asked, looking down at the little bot.

“Yeah,” Edgar nodded. “I think he wasn’t really paying attention to who he was talking to, he just wanted to say it out loud.” So…maybe everything he had told me today was true then…I’d wait and see about it though. If it happened multiple times then I’d know for sure if I was just a pawn in his chess game. Until then I was just going to go with the flow.

 

The next day when I went into work I was greeted by Jack, Hilda and Geoff. They were standing around in the lobby, chatting away when I went up to them. Edgar had already gone ahead of me, going up to Orf who was flying around lazily as the others talked.

“Whoa! I haven’t seen you in ages!” Geoff said, fake shock written all over him. “My god woman! You have changed! You look old!”

“Shut up!” I smacked his arm. “I do not.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Geoff nodded. “You look ancient.”

“Jack!” I whined.

“Hey, I am not getting into this,” Jack said, putting his hands up. “Talk to Hilda.”

“Oh no,” Hilda laughed. “I’ve got enough work to do. I don’t need to play babysitter too.”

“Seriously though, you have been distant,” Jack said. “What’s up?”

“Not much…” I mumbled.

“Liar,” Geoff elbowed me. “Who’s the guy?”

“Guy? Who said anything about a guy?” I asked, looking up at him.

“The way you were smiling when you came in,” Geoff replied. “And how you blushed just now.”

“I can’t be happy to be at work?” I asked.

“Kat.”

“It’s not what you think!” I shook my head.

“So there is a guy,” Jack said.

“No! Maybe…I don’t know…”

“What’s his name?” Geoff asked. Before I could answer I felt an arm slip around me and lips pressed to my cheek.

“Morning, dear,” Ryan said. Hilda looked shocked at what just happened and I could feel my face turning red.

“Dear?!” Jack and Geoff exclaimed, howling with laughter.

“He called you dear!” Geoff snorted. “The fucking CEO of Monarch labs…and he uses _dear_.”

“Problem?” Ryan asked.

“No, no, no,” Geoff said, trying to compose himself. “Not at all.” He couldn’t keep a straight face for long and was soon cracking up again.

“Oh grow up guys!” Hilda scolded them, shaking her head. I stood there for a moment before burying my head in my hands and walking away.

“See you later, _dear,_ ” Geoff called after me.

“I bet she calls him something cute too,” Jack giggled.

“Oh enough already!” I heard Hilda sigh. Their voices faded away as I got closer to the elevators. As I waited for one, Ryan came up beside me, Edgar right behind him.

“I’m never going to be able to show my face around them again,” I said, my face still burning.

“I…I’m sorry. I didn’t know they would act that way,” Ryan said softly.

“’Dear’? Really? Since when did I become ‘dear’?” I asked.

“Last night?”

“You really don’t know how relationships work, do you,” I shook my head, stepping into the elevator.

“Pardon?” Ryan followed, Edgar silently whirring beside us. Thankfully he was keeping quiet about all of this.

“You don’t start using names like that after making out once!” I replied. “We aren’t even a thing yet!” I felt myself getting pushed against the elevator wall, strong hands turning me so I was facing Ryan.

“I want to call you mine,” he murmured, nuzzling his face into my neck. “I want to be able to say that I am dating the most beautiful woman in the world. I want to kiss you whenever I want and hold you closely.” He started peppering kisses along my jaw and I unconsciously pushed myself closer to him. His arms were wrapped tightly around me, pulling me against his hard body but it didn’t seem close enough. It was then that I heard Edgar’s whirring noises that I froze.

“We really shouldn’t be doing this here,” I said, trying to push Ryan away.

“Why?” He almost growled.

“Because we aren’t alone?” I pointed down at Edgar.

“I’m young and impressionable!” Edgar said happily. Ryan glanced down at the little bot before bursting out laughing.

“Where did you learn that?” Ryan asked.

“Ray,” Edgar replied. “He said I was just a kid and should not be subjected to adult things yet.”

“And you shouldn’t be,” Ryan nodded, still smiling. He stepped away from me, taking hold of my hand instead. The elevators dinged at our arrival at the top floor and we stepped out of the elevator, heading down the hall to Ryan’s lab. Once inside, I saw the gun laying on the workbench. It was exactly how I had pictured it, right down to the smallest detail.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Ryan asked proudly, going over to the big gun. “I think you did an excellent job at designing this.” I was once again reminded that I was helping a criminal take over the city and guilt washed over me. I headed to the office and dropped my bag behind my desk, throwing a lab coat on. “Have I upset you?” Ryan asked, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me, his chin resting on my shoulder.

“No,” I lied.

“Whatever you say,” Ryan sighed. “I told you, I won’t hurt anyone. Unless they start it first.”

“You sound like a five year old,” I giggled.

“Trust me. I am,” Ryan replied and kissed my temple. “Come on, we have work to do.” We walked back to the lab and began working on the bullets. First, we tried to encase the chemicals in them. The bullets were hallowed out until about the middle which let us fill them with quite a lot of my formula. The problem was containing. I remade what I had used before when I was testing out the ice formula and tried it. We put a few bullets into the gun and Ryan fired them all at our test dummy. The gun was surprisingly quiet, considering how big it was, and it was fast too. The bullets all hit the target, the protective casing breaking on contact and the chemicals leaking out. They reacted the way they were supposed to and soon the dummy was slowly being covered with ice.

“Very nice,” Ryan purred, setting the gun back down and heading over to the dummy. “Very nice, indeed. Everything worked! The bullets are perfect! Now we just need ones that burn…”

“You could probably use anything for that,” I replied. “Most chemicals have bad side effects so take your pick. Plus, with the fact that the bullets will create a new wound, poison will work too.” Holy fucking shit I was insanely evil. Ryan started at me for a few moments before grinning.

“Yup,” he nodded. “I love you.” I just shook my head and started pulling out different chemicals to make a fast acting burning solution. I came up with a few different ones, trying to be extremely careful not to burn myself, and filled the bullets with it. I made the protective layering a bit stronger since I didn’t know how well it would react with the chemicals and then gave them to Ryan. What I had said was true, any chemical with a warning label could do the trick, but in order to make sure it did the job and was quick, mixing a few together was the only way. Ryan rapid fired the gun again, this time at a different test dummy that was made out of plastic, and watched as the chemicals slowly leaked out, melting the dummy.

“I guess that’s as good as it gets,” I shrugged, leaning against the table. Ryan nodded, filling the rest of the bullets up and sealing them off. Once he was done he glanced at the clock, his eyes widening.

“Its way past your lunch hour,” he said. “Why don’t you go get a large pizza or something and we’ll eat in the office?”

“Sure.” I shrugged out of my coat and grabbed my wallet before heading downstairs.

“Kat!” Hilda waved at me from the lobby, Orf lazily flying around her head. “Where were you at lunch today?”

“Got caught up in work,” I replied, smiling slightly. Was Hilda going to be one of the few we ended up hurting with this gun?

“Ah, understandable. It happens to me all the time,” she nodded. “Listen, it’s not really my thing but Geoff is throwing a party at his place, all co-workers invited. It’d be less awkward if you were there.”

“Party?” I repeated. “What for?”

“I don’t know,” Hilda sighed. “He has one every now and again. It’s Saturday. Will you come?”

“Yeah I guess,” I replied. “Need to get out of the house once and a while I suppose.” Hilda laughed.

“So uh, when did you and Haywood…?”

“We didn’t,” I said firmly. “He kissed me once and that was it.”

“He seems to be quite taken with you,” Hilda commented.

“’Taken with me’?” I snorted. “What is this, an 1800’s romance?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Hilda grinned. “Still…you should consider it.”

“What?”

“Well, you guys always joke about me never going out but what about you?” Hilda asked. “You don’t date, you won’t even look at guys. The only times you go out is with X-Ray and Vav or me and Jack. I think it would do you some good. Plus, I see the way you look at him sometimes. It’s clear you feel something too.”

“Look I have to go get some food so I’ll talk to you on Saturday, okay?” I pushed past her and started on my way to the pizza place. My mind was going a hundred different directions at once. I didn’t want to admit my feelings about Ryan. To anyone. Besides, despite what Edgar said about Ryan’s feelings for me…I couldn’t trust him. A robbery the same day he wanted to talk to me? For all I knew, he was just saying those things to keep me around. I mean, who was I? Some run of the mill scientist who had no experience in relationships and was honestly very boring looking. Why would someone like Ryan Haywood, CEO of Monarch Labs, be interested in me? I was nobody! I wouldn’t be surprised if he already was with someone else and I was just an amusement. What good was I anyways? A brain and an alibi. That’s it.

I sighed heavily as I got the pizza and headed back. Whatever was happening between us had to stop. I couldn’t let him manipulate me like that anymore. I’d finish working on this weapon and then I’d leave. Quit Monarch Labs if I had to. I couldn’t stay anywhere near him. Hell, I might even move cities. It would be better that way, I decided. It would save him the trouble of dealing with me after he got what he wanted…and it would save me the heartbreak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NO KAT YOU DUMBASS HE LOVES YOU DON'T BE A FO-oh hai. Didn't see you there. Uh...I wasn't yelling at my character. Noooooo. Pfft why would you even suggest such a silly thing? You silly duck, you.


	6. Royally Fucked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine returns to the office to find Edgar in a hole?!

When I got back to the lab, the lights had been turned down. They glowed faintly, just enough for me to see the room. Puzzled, I walked further into the lab, looking around for Ryan or Edgar.

“Miss Katherine!” Edgar’s voice called. It sounded muffled a bit and I thought he was in the office until I heard tapping. Glancing at the ground, I saw that part of the floor had been taken away and instead there was now a hole with glass covering in. Edgar was in there, happily whirring away as he looked up at me. “Welcome back!”

“Edgar?” I knelt down and placed my hand on the glass. “What…?”

“He was asking too many questions and I needed a quiet space to work,” Ryan stepped from the shadows, his crown sitting crookedly on his head. “I threatened to put him in a hole if he did not leave me alone and well…that’s what happened.”

“You put my robot in a hole?!” I yelled.

“I had to get work done!”

“Just tell him to go into the office next time!” I got up and glared at Ryan. “Get him out of there now.” Ryan clenched his jaw but did as I asked, going over to a panel on the wall and pressing a button. The glass slid away and I was able to pull Edgar out. He whirred away to go do his own thing and I was left just glaring at Ryan.

“What?” He snapped.

“I swear to god Haywood if you touch my robot again-” I started but he cut me off.

“He was fine! I just needed some quietness to work and you didn’t take him with you!” Ryan huffed.

“That doesn’t give you permission to lock him up! You could have told him to go visit Hilda!”

“And risk him blabbing everything to her?” Ryan snorted. “That robot can’t keep his mouth shut enough to save your life. You really ought to work on that.”

“Well he’s managed to keep everything to himself so far so I don’t see it as a major issue,” I replied.

“Yes well, I am starting to wonder how long that will last,” Ryan shook his head. “It is too dangerous for you both to be fliting back and forth from here to where your little ‘superhero’ friends are. They are trying to find me and I find myself uneasy with your living situation.”

“My friends trust me to know what’s right and wrong,” I ground out. “Helping a wanted criminal is the last thing they’d expect from me.”

“I wonder what they’d do if they found out you were romantically involved with said wanted criminal too,” Ryan purred. The sound of my hand connecting with his face was loud and sharp. The look of surprise on Ryan was almost priceless too. I stared, wide-eyed at him, shocked by what I had done.

“You hit me!” Ryan stated.

“You were being an ass!” I replied. Ryan just stared at me for a moment before grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the office. “What are you doing?” I asked.

“Edgar,” Ryan said. “Why don’t you go visit Hilda and Orf for a little bit?”

“Okay!” Edgar said and whizzed out of the lab.

“Thought you said you couldn’t trust him,” I sneered. Ryan pulled me into the office and slammed the door shut behind us, locking it. He then grabbed me again and pushed me up against the now closed door, slamming his lips to mine in a brutal kiss. I went to push him away but something stopped me and instead I just held on to him. His hands started roaming everywhere and I gripped the front of his shirt tightly, pulling him closer. He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist, making it easier on both of us to continue kissing. When we broke for air there was something in Ryan’s eyes that made me believe he was not letting me leave the office for a long time. A small smirk sat on his face and he started placing feather light kisses on my neck.

“God I love your fiery passion,” he moaned against my skin. “I love the way your eyes light up in determination and how your lips tremble in anger.” He pushed himself against me and I could something hard in his pants which caused me to blush. Ryan slipped a hand between our bodies and started to knead the soft flesh of my breast, his hips thrusting gently into me. I bit back a moan, wanting nothing more than to be completely naked. Which was…shocking to me. I had never once felt that way towards anyone and the fact that Ryan, of all people, was tearing these feelings out of me left me a little overwhelmed. “Katherine. I need you but I won’t do anything more unless you ask me.” He bit my collarbone gently and I gasped.

“R-Ryan,” I moaned.

“Yes, love?”

“Please,” I gasped as he pressed into me again.

“Please what?” I could tell he was enjoying this, could feel the smirk he had on my skin as he placed kisses everywhere he could reach. “You have to ask.”

“Please…fuck me.” I could feel my face turn red and I tried to hide but Ryan wouldn’t have that. Instead his smirk turned into a predatory grin and he carried me over to his desk. He swiped everything off of it and sat me down before going to work on my clothes. He pulled my shirt off and placed a few kisses on the tops of my breasts while he worked on my pants. Once those were off he stepped back for a moment, his eyes raking over my body before kneeling down and placing an open mouthed kiss to the sensitive spot between my legs, gaining a yelp from me. He continued to tease me like that until finally he practically ripped my underwear away and swiped his tongue across my heated flesh. I bit my lip, my eyes falling closed as wave after wave of pleasure courses through me. My entire body was shaking as Ryan continued his torment. When he moved away, I whined at the loss of contact but he quickly made up for it by bringing me into a heated kiss. I started working on his pants, pulling them down and wrapping my hand around his length, earning a hiss from him.

“Katherine,” Ryan nearly growled, biting my lower lip gently. He started panting as I dragged my hand up and down him slowly. “My Katherine.” Kissing me one last time, he made his way around the desk and opened up one of his drawers, pulling out a condom.

“Do you usually keep those at work?” I asked. He chuckled.

“Not until you showed up,” he smirked and walked back over to me. Wasting no time, Ryan tore the packet open and slipped the condom on before stepping between my legs again. “Ready?”

“Just…be gentle?” I said quietly. “I’ve never…” His eyes went wide for a moment but softened. He cupped my cheek and kissed me so sweetly it took my breath away.

“I promise,” he said after we broke away. “Just let me know if I’m hurting you too much, okay?” I nodded and he started to slowly slide into me. I winced at the sudden flash of pain and bit my lip, trying not to whimper. Ryan gave me a moment to adjust before starting to move slowly, settling his hands on my waist. Eventually pain turned to pleasure and Ryan started to move faster, but still carefully, his teeth lightly biting down on my shoulder. I was almost drowning in the feeling of him inside me, my breaths coming out in pants. I could feel fire racing through my veins and pooling between my legs, getting more intense each time Ryan thrust into me.

Ryan suddenly turned so he was sitting on the desk and I was straddling his hips. I gasped in surprise at the sudden changed but then moaned at the new angle. He caught one of my nipples in his mouth and began teasing me, sending ever more pleasure rocketing through my body. I tangled my hands in his hair and felt myself tip over the edge, screaming his name as I came. Ryan was close behind me, burying his face in my neck and groaning. We sat there for a moment, catching our breaths and the realisation of what just happen sunk in. I had no intentions of losing my virginity any time soon and that all went out the door the second Ryan kissed me. Hell I had no intentions of having sex with Ryan at all. Ever. I thought over days since agreeing to Ryan’s offer of this project. Everything had gone downhill since then. I helped him create a dangerous weapon that he was going to use against the innocent people of the city and possibly the world if he got his way, I let him play with my emotions to the point where I developed more than just a simple little crush…I was in way over my head.

“You okay?” He asked softly, moving strands of hair away from my face. I nodded and avoided his gaze, slipping off his lap and putting my clothes back on. Ryan just stood there and watched me for a moment before coming over to me and wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me up against him. “You regret it.” His voice was flat but I could hear worry in it, despite him trying to hide it.

“I am regretting a lot of things at the moment,” I replied quietly.

“Please don’t,” Ryan pleaded. “I know this isn’t exactly the most…ideal situation. I know that I am a complete maniac who is hell bent on destroying everything that his city has built! And I can understand you regretting helping me achieve that but please…please do not regret this.” I finally glanced up at him and saw that he was really upset. He reached up and cupped my cheek, running his thumb across my skin. “Katherine I love you. More than anything. I can’t stand the thought of losing you. You are so gentle and pure and _good_ and yet you aren’t afraid to stand up for what you believe in. You are filled with so much fire and passion and I can’t stay away from you. Every time we are apart my mind is only on you. You are driving me crazy Katherine.” He rested his forehead on mine, his breath ghosting across my lips. His brilliant blue eyes drilled into mine and it was then that I decided that I loved him to. It still felt completely wrong somehow though. He was a crime lord, number one wanted by the police and yet here I was, falling for him.

“I love you too,” I whispered. Ryan closed his eyes and sighed in relief before kissing me. He pulled away and pulled his clothes back on, straightening them out so it looked like nothing happened. Just as he was about to open the door it burst open and hit him in the face. Ray and Gavin were standing on the other side, Ray’s foot up in the air which lead me to believe he kicked the door open.

“Sup bitch!” He yelled. Ignoring him, I ran over to Ryan to make sure he was okay.

“I’m fine. I get hit in the nose with doors every day,” he said sarcastically.

“Sorry dude,” Ray shrugged. “Just came to break Katty here free from her jailor so we can go out and par-tay.”

“Katty?” Ryan asked, raising his eye brow.

“You know, Katty. Kitty Kat. Kit Kat. Katherine.” Ray replied.

“I didn’t realise you had so many nick names.” Ryan said, looking over at me.

“Blame bird nose,” I motioned towards Gavin who squawked. “And what do you guys mean free me from my jailor?”

“You’ve been working too hard, Kit Kat,” Gavin said, slinging an arm around me. “X-Ray and I decided it’d be a great night to go out, have us some dinner and drinks and then finish the night off with a bunch of horror movies.”

“Gavin!” Ray yelled. Gavin looked at him for a moment, confused, before he realised what he had called Ray.

“Oh for—mmmm,” Gavin sighed. “Uh…ignore the name X-Ray it totally has no relation to who we are or what we do in our spare time. Nope.”

“Smooth,” Ray groaned and slapped a hand to his face.

“No need to worry Ray,” Ryan laughed. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Good. Now. We are stealing your girlfriend,” Ray grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room.

“I kind of need my stuff!” I yelled.

“Gavin!”

“On it!”

“Ryan! Can I get some help please? He’s gonna rip my arm off!” I pleaded, looking back at him.

“Nope. Too busy with work right now. Sorry,” he smirked and I flipped him the bird. Sighing, I allowed Ray to drag me out of the building, stopping only so I could tell Edgar to go back up to the lab and shut down for the night, and then we headed off to our apartment so we could get ready for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awkward ending, I know, but I wanted it to lead into the next chapter.


	7. Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A break in happened at the labs and now Edgar is missing!

A night out with the two idiots was needed. We went for supper and then hung out at a club for a bit, letting loose by dancing. After that we crashed onto the couch and set up a marathon of movies which included popcorn, chips, pops and candy. We ended up crashing around four in the morning, the three of us crushing up on the couch. X-Ray was sleeping on one end with me curled up against his side and Vav practically laying on top of me as he tried to get comfortable. It wasn’t the best sleep I’d ever had.

A low chuckle woke me up and I groaned as I forced my eyes open. I was currently lying face down on the couch, X-Ray and Vav having fallen off sometime during the night. I glanced up and saw Ryan standing over me, a smirk on his face.

“How the fuck did you get in?” I whispered, sitting up.

“You left your door unlocked dear,” he replied. “Not a very wise thing to do.”

“Okay…” I rubbed my eyes. “Why the fuck are you here?”

“Well it is only Friday and the weekend doesn’t start until after the working hours,” he explained, grinning down at me and crossing his arms.

“What time is it?” I asked slowly.

“Almost noon.”

“Oh shit!” I yelled, jumping up and stepping on Ray which made him wake up.

“Suck my X-Ray!” He yelled, getting up and firing off his laser beams and burning the wall. He then tripped over Gavin while he tried to actually find the danger in the room and fell to the floor. Gavin squawked and started thrashing around on the floor. He accidently activated his Slow-Mo which hit Ray full force. Ryan watched all of this with amusement, glancing up at me as I watched the scene with a growing look of horror.

“Ah! It’s that Haywood guy!” Gavin said, getting up. “Ah…um…this…didn’t just happen!”

“Of course not,” Ryan smiled. “I just came here to collect Katherine.” I winced and started for my room again, hopping in the shower quickly before changing into my work clothes. When I came back out, Ray was still stuck in Slow-Mo and Gavin was trying to get him on the couch. I sighed and just shook my head, grabbing Ryan’s arm and dragging him out of the apartment. “I like them. I think I’ll keep them around when we complete the final part of the plan.”

“Don’t think they’d be too happy,” I said.

“They can be persuaded,” Ryan replied, yanking on my arm so I spun around and faced him. “You were.”

“What, you going to sleep with them too?” I asked, smirking.

“Yes,” Ryan rolled his eyes. “That Ray…I get so hot every time I see him.”

“I knew it.”

“You should not be talking so lightly darling,” Ryan continued. “I had to come get you. We had a meeting you know, with the board. They do not take kindly to those who skip out on them.”

“Um…” I had actually completely forgotten about the meeting.

“You’re lucky I was there,” Ryan shook his head. “Most would be fired on the spot.”

“Thanks,” I said, grabbing his hand.

“Just don’t let it happen again. I don’t think they’d listen to me a second time,” he sighed.

“Promise!”

“By the way,” Ryan said and smashed his lips to mine. “Hi.” He led me to the elevator and we headed down to his car. During the ride to work, he kept a hold on my hand, occasionally swiping his thumb across my knuckles.

“So you have the gun, you have the bullets,” I said slowly. “What else do you need before the finale?”

“I need a stage,” Ryan replied. “Somewhere that will allow everybody to see exactly what I want and how I intend on getting it. I also need my contact to mass produce those guns. One is not enough.”

“And then?” I asked.

“And then I will ask the mayor to call a town meeting or a ceremony or some fake bullshit and I will lay down the rules.”

“I hope you have an army ready,” I sighed.

“Oh trust me my dear,” Ryan smiled darkly. “I do.”

 

When we got to the labs I was greeted by Hilda who was pacing back and forth, waiting for us. 

“There’s been a break in!” Hilda cried when we got close enough. “Some idiots stole some passes and got up to the top floor. They cleaned everything out!”

“What?!” Ryan roared. He headed for the elevators and we followed.

“They got away and the cameras didn’t pick anything up,” Hilda explained. “The higher ups are trying to figure out if there was anything really important that they took but so far it only looks like supplies, blue prints and a few other things were stolen. They hacked into the database too and stole some files off of there.” We headed up to the top floor and were greeted by a mass of people.

“Ryan!” Geoff called, waving us over. “Oh man, dude, you are not going to be happy. They fucking destroyed your lab. Whatever you had in there, they wanted.”

“What do you mean destroyed?” Ryan asked.

“They smashed anything they could, ripped up all your notes, poured toxic and corrodible chemicals _everywhere_ and took off with anything of value,” Geoff shook his head.

“What about the other labs?” Ryan asked.

“Untouched, save for a few missing files,” Geoff shrugged. “What did you have in yours?”

“Nothing that anyone would want,” Ryan replied through gritted teeth, heading down the hallway. I followed quietly, peeking around him when we got to the lab door. There were people already inside, trying to clear away the hazardous mess.

“Where’s Edgar?” I demanded, trying to get into the lab. Ryan grabbed me around the waist and pulled me away.

“Calm down,” Ryan said. “You are not going in there.”

“I need to find him,” I said, trying to fight him off.

“Dooley!” Geoff called and one of the people in the lab looked up. “You guys seen a small robot in there?”

“No sir!” Dooley replied. “Place was empty when we got here.”

“Why would they take Edgar though?” Geoff asked. “It’s not like you filled him with important information or anything.”

“I-I don’t know why,” I said quietly. All I could think about was the fact that Edgar was gone and I had no idea what the people who took him would do.

“Maybe he left,” Ryan suggested. “Maybe he went to go find you or something…”

“He can’t turn on unless told to,” I replied.

“We’ll find him,” Ryan promised.

“What about that project you guys were working on?” Geoff asked.

“Its fine,” Ryan sighed. “It still had a few bugs in it anyways.” That made me stand up a bit straighter. The gun and bullets were fine…why was Ryan lying? Unless…I met his eyes and the look he gave me confirmed my suspicions. Ryan had someone break into the labs for him and take everything. Including my robot. “Well, it seems there isn’t really much for us to do today. I went and got you for nothing. Shall I take you back home?”

“Sure,” I nodded. “Bye Geoff.”

“Hope you find Edgar soon,” Geoff frowned. Ryan led me out to the car again but instead of taking me home, he started driving towards the outside of town.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Well I know you’re worried about Edgar so I figured you’d want to see him,” Ryan said. “And I need to congratulate my boys on a job well done!”

“You’re amazing,” I said, shaking my head.

“Thank you,” Ryan grinned.

“An amazing idiot,” I continued. “You are walking a fine line here! If those men got caught and were connected to you-”

“It won’t happen! Trust me,” Ryan replied. “They have no way to tie anyone to me.”

“You better be right about that,” I threatened.

“Relax Katherine,” Ryan sighed. “You’ll be fine. If I do ever get caught I promise that nobody will know that you helped me.”

“I’m not just worried about that you idiot!” I huffed. “I’m worried about you! You’re playing with fire and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I-” he seemed at a loss for words for a moment. Glancing over at me, Ryan grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say they worry about me.”

“Well I do,” I replied. “So get used to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awe she does care <3


	8. Time to Prepare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine learns about Ryan's plan to break into City Hall. Someone tells Katherine that at the end of everything, Katherine may find herself dead.

The place Ryan ended up taking me to was a normal looking house. It was about an hour outside of town and to anyone else it would look like a quiet old couple owned it. A neat little garden sat just to one side, there was a swing bench on the porch. Really it was a beautiful place.

“Wow,” I said. “Does your grandma live here?”

“Very funny,” Ryan poked me. “No she does not. The house may look ordinary on the outside, love, but trust me when I say the inside is far from it.” He parked the car and hopped out, running around to my side so he could open my door. He took my hand and led me inside where I found out he was…completely wrong. The inside even looked like a grandma’s house.

“Jesus Ryan,” I shook my head. “Either you are kidnapping poor grandmas or you are a complete basket case.” Ryan started laughing.

“Katherine, my love, you always knew I was a basket case,” he chuckled. “Come on. I need to keep up appearances. What if somebody came over one day? I can’t have it looking like an evil lair! No, I keep everything downstairs.” As if on cue, something from downstairs crashed and anger flashed on Ryan’s face. He let me go and went storming towards a door. He threw it open and thundered down the stairs. I followed him and found myself in an underground lab. There were guys and women in lab coats, some surrounding the gun that had been “stolen” and some standing around a bunch of broken glass and some kind of liquid. The liquid was slowly eating a hole into the ground.

“What the fuck happened?!” Ryan yelled.

“Katherine!” Edgar came whirring around the corner and skidded to a halt in front of me.

“Edgar!” I knelt down and started checking him over. “Are you okay? You aren’t hurt anywhere are you?”

“I had fun! They played games with me!” Edgar said happily.

“Mad King!” One of the men came rushing up to us. “Sir I am so sorry but Sarah decided it would be a good idea to _test the gun_ and-”

“I do not want to hear any excuses!” Ryan yelled. “I told you to handle all of this with _care_ and you went and fucked around with it!”

“Sir I am sorry but…who is she?” The guy looked at me, confused.

“She’s the one who built that,” Ryan said, pointing at the gun.

“Katherine,” I said, standing up.

“Oh, she’s the slut he’s fucking,” one of the girls whispered, loud enough for me to hear. I turned towards the voice and saw one of the girls glaring at me. I gave her a confused look but said nothing.

“Now clean this mess up,” Ryan demanded. “You guys fucked up at the labs. They caught you on camera. I said a clean entry! The fucking robot tipped them off.”

“Hey, do not blame my robot for your fucking idiots,” I huffed.

“I’m not darling, trust me,” Ryan said, shooting me a smile. “My idiots are fully to blame.”

“We’re really sorry boss,” someone else came forward. “It kept asking for Miss Katherine. We couldn’t shut him up.”

“How did you even activate him? I shut him down for the night.”

“I don’t know. One minute he was all quiet and the next he was awake and talking really loud,” the guy replied.

“That aside, did you get the files?” Ryan asked.

“Yes sir! They are in the office.”

“Good. Katherine, come with me. I have something to show you,” Ryan took my hand again and led me to a back room. He closed the door behind the two of us and turned towards a long table that had papers spread everywhere on it. Multiple screens were on one wall directly in front of us, all of them black. “Katherine what I’m about to show you, what I’m about to tell you, is the whole foundation for this plan.”

“Okay I’m listening,” I said, sitting down on one of the chairs surrounding the table.

“You see, years ago I became obsessed with this idea,” Ryan started. “This town holds something very valuable. Something that is a crucial part in my plan. A couple of years before you started working at the Labs, something was transferred through us. It was going to the City Hall Archives. Nobody would tell us what it was though. All we were told was to stay out of the room it was kept in.”

“Let me guess,” I interrupted. “Curiosity got the better of you.”

“Exactly,” Ryan walked around the table, his eyes dancing over the various pages. “What we transferred was a device. Very valuable device that the government entrusted to our Mayor and every Mayor after him. Apparently someone named Co-Pirate tried getting his hands on it before so they figured a transfer was needed.”

“And now you want it.” I stated.

“Yes. Very badly,” Ryan nodded, a small smile playing at his lips. “That device offers a way to control the minds of others without lifting a finger. Katherine just imagine. The entire world will bow down to me and I will have to do nothing but say the words!”

“Then why do you need the guns?” I asked.

“Because I need to get that device,” Ryan replied. “Only problem is they are heavily guarded. Not to mention there will be those who can resist it more than others.”

“So what was the whole plan at the Labs?”

“The Labs had the exact location the device is located. You see, City Hall is made up of many subfloors and each subfloor has multiple rooms,” he explained. “I can’t waste time searching every room. It’s too risky. We needed the files that the Labs had. They hold all the information we could ever want on this thing.”

“How far down is this device?” I asked.

“Almost the bottom floor,” Ryan shook his head. “And, like I said, it’s heavily guarded.”

“When are you planning on getting this thing?”

“Not for a while yet,” Ryan replied. “We need to let things cool down at the lab first so that they don’t put two and two together. I made sure we only got copies of anything digital. That way it’s harder to track what was stolen.”

“Who’s immune to this thing?” I was asking a lot of questions but I had to know. Whatever this device was sounded dangerous and having it in the hands of someone who is basically insane? I needed the facts.

“A few government officials,” Ryan said. “You will be too. As soon as I perfect the ‘antidote’ so to speak. I also believe your little friends will have no problem fighting it off.”

“Antidote?”

“More or less,” Ryan shrugged. “It isn’t anything big really. Just a small dosage of a certain drug I’ve created that will build the walls of your mind. I’ve tested it countless of times and everyone who has taken the shot is perfectly fine.” I must have looked uneasy because Ryan was quickly at my side, kneeling down in front of me and grabbing my face gently in his hands. “Katherine I promised I would never hurt you and I won’t. I swear to you that this drug is harmless. It is for your protection that you take it.” He placed soft kisses of my face. “I love you. And I need you to trust me. Do you?”

“Yes,” I nodded, resting my forehead on his.

“Good,” he said, sighing in relief. “Why don’t you go up to the kitchen? There’s tea and lots of food in the fridge so you can help yourself.”

“Trying to get rid of me?” I teased.

“I just have to have a meeting with the guys. It won’t take too long,” Ryan replied. He kissed me softly on the lips and then helped me up. “I’ll be up shortly.”

“Okay,” I nodded and headed back to the stairs. “Edgar.” I called. He was watching some of the people work on the gun but came right over.

“Miss Katherine!” He greeted. “Where are we going?”

“Just upstairs,” I said. I picked him up and carried him up the stairs before setting him down and heading for the kitchen. I didn’t get the greatest look at the inside of the house when we first showed up but it was actually nice. Hardwood floors, big windows and really beautiful paintings.

“Miss Katherine, what is Ryan planning on doing with the gun?” Edgar asked.

“He’s planning something extremely dangerous and I’m worried,” I said quietly as I put some water on to boil.

“Why?”

“Because he could get hurt or…or killed,” I replied. “I don’t want that to happen.”

“Well then maybe you should just leave,” a new voice spoke up. I spun around and saw the girl from earlier. She had taken her lab coat off and was leaning against the wall, glaring at me. Her hair was cut really short and her green eyes glowed with hatred.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“I said leave,” she repeated. “All he’s going to do is toss you away like the others. You’re just here because you have some sort of talent he needs. After this whole thing is done you’ll be left behind.”

“What are you talking about?” I demanded.

“Wow you really are stupid,” she laughed. “Sure he says he cares for you, that he loves you, but it’s a lie. Throughout this whole planning process of his, he’s been with five other woman. All of them had a talent. Breaking in, breaking out, theft, you name it.”

“This thing has been going on for only a few short years,” I stated. “You’re telling me that he’s tricked five women into believing the same thing?”

“Three of them were at the same time,” the girl shrugged. “He has a thing with relationships. Doesn’t like to keep women around for too long. Trust me. Just days after his victory and you’ll be long gone or dead.”

“Were you one of these women?” I asked. “Because you seem to be jealous.” She stormed towards me and grabbed my neck, pushing me against the wall and adding pressure to my throat.

“Miss Katherine!” Edgar yelled and went whirring down the hallway, calling for Ryan.

“Don’t you dare presume to know me,” she hissed. “Ryan kept me around, even after he’d had his way with me. The others were dead weight. _I_ still have a purpose. As soon as you’re gone he’s coming right back to me, like he always does.” She let me go and left, slamming the front door behind her.

“Katherine?” Ryan came running up the stairs. He saw me standing in the kitchen and rushed over to me. “What did she do?” He demanded.

“Oh nothing just said that as soon as everything was said and done I was as good as dead,” I replied, feeling tears starting to prick at my eyes.

“Do not listen to her,” he growled and crushed me to his chest. “That girl has been more trouble than she’s worth. I don’t know why I ever hired her.”

“Sir, Amy isn’t on the premises anymore,” somebody said, coming into the room.

“Good,” Ryan said darkly. “Send her an email. Tell her to not bother coming in tomorrow or ever again. And tell her if I do see her again, I’ll drive a knife so far into her it’ll stick to the wall. I will not tolerate any kind of threat to Katherine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo.....City Hall eh?


	9. Goodbye isn't Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine opens up about her past with X-Ray and Vav. Gavin gives her a call which changes everything.

The drive back into town was uncomfortably silent. Edgar was sitting in the backseat, watching the trees and cars pass as we flew down the highway. I knew that I could trust Ryan but it seemed like everything in the world was telling me not too.

“Miss Katherine!” Edgar suddenly said. “I’ve just received a voicemail from Ray and Gavin! Would you like me to play it?”

“You have a phone set up in him?” Ryan asked, looking over at me.

“It’s easier,” I shrugged. “Play the message Edgar.”

“ _Hey loser,”_ Ray’s voice came through a small speaker. _“Thought we’d let you know we’re off to do some…stuff. MK has been at it again and we need to find…stuff. Yeah. So we won’t be home whenever you decide to show up. If you’re with Ryan you should stay with him. The house is kind of a mess.”_

 _“Don’t tell her that! She’ll never leave us alone again!”_ Gavin yelled.

 _“Well she’s going to find out eventually!”_ Ray yelled back. “ _That stuff is hard to get off the walls!”_

 _“X-Ray!”_ There was a scuffle in the background and then the phone hung up.

“My roommates ladies and gentlemen,” I muttered and shook my head.

“So how does one find themselves becoming roommates with two superheroes?” Ryan asked.

“It’s a long story,” I sighed.

“I’ve got time.”

“Well, we met when we were younger,” I started. “They were just Gavin and Ray back then. Two misfits who didn’t really belong with the other kids. I had just moved to town and nobody really took a liking to me so one day the two of them came up to me at recess and asked if I wanted to play. They didn’t mind that I preferred to take our toys apart and rebuild better toys and they didn’t care that I had my own little lab in my room. We were the three misfits in our entire school career.”

“You had your own lab? In elementary school?” Ryan asked, shocked.

“Yes,” I replied. “It wasn’t the greatest, only a few screws and other things but I was able to take things apart and rebuild them.”

“So when did the ‘saving the day’ bullshit come in?”

“It’s not bullshit,” I said defensively. “They really want to help out. But I guess you could say it happened after my parents died.”

“Wait what?” Ryan looked over at me.

“Mmhmm. Last year of high school my house was broken into,” I said. That night came back to me so vividly, you’d think it had happened yesterday. “I was over at a friend’s house, a bunch of us having gone over there for a small study group, when my phone started to ring. When I picked it up, it was the police department. A couple of guys had broken into my house and tried to take everything. My parents fought back and they were killed.”

“Oh Katherine,” Ryan whispered and grabbed my hand. “Oh my love.”

“When I told Ray and Gavin they started poking their noses around and eventually found a clue that the police missed,” I sighed. “They instantly started insisting I call them X-Ray and Vav, and that they would find the killers. A few weeks later they did. They also found the gang they were part of and ended up busting them for all the drug deals that went on through them, as well as smuggling weapons. Ever since then they’ve wanted to help out the innocent.”

“So you were what started it,” Ryan said softly.

“Yeah. I guess they hated seeing me that way, not knowing who killed my parents and not seeing the culprit brought to justice,” I shrugged. “Two days later, on went the costumes and X-Ray and Vav were born.”

“They must really care about you,” Ryan mused.

“Yeah, we’re like family,” I said, smiling. “Ever since then I’ve been living with Gavin or Ray and their families. When we got older we all just moved in together, we were so used to living with each other.” We fell silent after that until we got into town. I was expecting Ryan to start heading for downtown for my apartment but instead he started heading the opposite direction. “Where are we going?”

“Well, they said they wouldn’t be home all night,” Ryan replied, looking over at me with a hungry look. “I was thinking we could maybe…spend the night together.”

“Ryan Haywood,” I said, trying to go for a scary and mature tone. “Are you planning on seducing me tonight?”

“Only if you allow me.”

“Hmm. I demand dinner first,” I giggled.

“Of course!” Ryan replied. “I shall make you the most amazing dinner you’ve ever had.”

“And I want to watch a romantic comedy,” I warned.

“Anything for you, dear.” Ryan smiled over at me.

“You’re too perfect,” I huffed. “Next you’ll be telling me you hate sports.”

“Absolutely loath them,” Ryan nodded.

“You just want to get laid tonight.”

“That could be the reason entirely.”

 

I was trying to focus on the movie but Ryan kept peppering kisses on my neck, sometimes even biting me softly. I didn’t try to fight him off, my mind was starting to go in that direction as well. At least Ryan was nice enough to wait until the end of the movie to start undressing me.

“Did you even watch the movie?” I laughed as he tugged at my shirt.

“Nope,” Ryan admitted. “Well…I saw snippets.” His hands slipped under my shirt and started roaming everywhere. My stomach, my back, my chest and then eventually they pulled my shirt completely off. He pushed my down onto the couch and crawled on top of me, peppering kisses everywhere. “So beautiful…” He whispered. I started pulling at his shirt, wanting to get it off quickly, when my phone started ringing.

“Damn,” I sighed.

“Ignore it,” Ryan growled.

“Edgar who is it?” I called. I had put Edgar in Ryan’s office and told him to stay there.

“Gavin!” Edgar called back.

“Damn,” I pushed Ryan off and quickly pulled my shirt on before picking up my phone. “Hello?”

“Katherine? Where are you?” Gavin’s voice came through. He sounded really worried.

“At Ryan’s,” I replied. “Why?”

“Katty listen to me,” he said urgently. “You need to leave. Now. We know who the Mad King is. You need to get out of there now.”

“Wait what? How’d you find out?” I demanded. I looked over at Ryan and he was instantly on alert.

“One of his men,” Gavin replied. “Well, girl actually. She came to the police station and spilled everything! Katherine. I’m so sorry. It’s Ryan. Ryan’s the Mad King. You need to leave. Now.”

“Alright, alright,” I started to panic. If someone told them…would they have mentioned me? “Did they say anything else?”

“No,” Gavin replied. “Only that Ryan was MK and what he was planning. After that she shut up and won’t say anything to anybody! I have to go now. Be safe!” Gavin hung up and I put my phone down.

“What is it?” Ryan demanded.

“They know,” I whispered. “They know who you are. I think Amy went and told them.” Ryan swore and stood up, pacing around the room.

“Did she say anything about you?” He suddenly asked.

“I don’t think so,” I replied. “Gavin said she only mentioned you and what you were planning.”

“That good for nothing bitch!” Ryan yelled. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted her. I should have sent men after her as soon as she left!”

“Ryan!” I stood up and grabbed his arm, trying to make him stand still. “We’ll just think of something else.”

“Like what?” Ryan snapped. “The police know who I am! They’re probably on their way here now!” Suddenly the colour went from his face and he glanced down at me. “You have to go. You need to leave. Now.” He grabbed my hand and dragged me to the door.

“What?” I started fighting against him. “No! I’m not leaving you!”

“Kat you have to!” Ryan replied. “I can’t let you get caught. I promised.”

“No! Ryan if I go, you go with me!” I dragged my heels into the floor, which didn’t help because it was hardwood, but Ryan stopped pulling and turned back to me.

“Where?” He demanded. “Where could I go? They’ll be looking for me!”

“So we’ll hide!” I insisted. “I’m not letting you get caught.” Already we could hear sirens in the distance. Ryan started down at me for what seemed like forever and I was worried he wasn’t going to listen but then he ran upstairs and was back in an instant with a packed bag.

“Edgar!” He called. My robot came whirring out. “Come on. We’re leaving.” We ran out to his car and jumped in before speeding off in the opposite direction of the cops. I held my breath, waiting for a cruiser to show up behind us, but they never did.

“Where are we going?” I finally asked.

“I have a safe house,” Ryan replied. “I bought it under a fake name. Nobody will find us there.”

“Us?”

“You are not leaving my side until this is over,” Ryan said. His voice had taken a deadly tone to it. “I know you trust your friends but I don’t. If they were to ever find out about what you’ve done…I’m not so sure they’d be quick to defend you.”

“I can’t just leave and not say anything,” I argued.

“Well you are,” Ryan said. “I don’t trust Amy and I don’t trust Ray and Gavin. You’re stuck with me until I say so.”

“So you’re kidnapping me,” I huffed.

“Yes,” Ryan shot a grin to me. “Just think of all the alone time we’ll get. Surely that makes up for it?”

“Can I at least send Edgar to tell them I’m okay?”

“No. Edgar has a system which can be hacked into and all information recovered,” Ryan shoot his head. “You have a recorder in there darling. They could easily use that.”

“I can delete the files!” Edgar said from the back seat.

“I’m sure you can Edgar but what’s to stop them from following you back to the safe house?” Ryan asked. “No, I can’t risk it.”

“But keeping me there will only raise suspicion!” I said. “Think about it. They told me who you were and then we both disappear. What do you think the police will say?” Ryan was silent for a moment before cursing and pulling over.

“Fine,” he growled. “You take a cab and you go home. If they question you, deny everything. Don’t come looking for me, don’t call me, don’t even send me an email. Got it?”

“Yes,” I replied quietly.

“I’ll come get you when we’re ready to move forward with the plan.” He reached over to me and pulled me closer. His lips met mine in a hard and demanding kiss. When we pulled away he pushed a stray lock of hair away from my face. “I’ll see you soon.” I nodded and got out of the car, Edgar with me. I watched as Ryan took off down the road and tried to fight the tears off.

“Come on Edgar,” I said thickly, looking down at my robot. “Let’s go home.”

“Will Ryan be okay?” Edgar asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “I hope so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well things got interesting.


	10. Together Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long month away from each other, Ryan and Kat are finally reunited.

It had been almost a month since Ryan had left me on the street. A very long and torturous month. The police had been dragging me into the station non-stop for days, always thinking of something new to ask me. How long have I known Ryan? Did I know he was the Mad King? What was the project we were working on? Was it anything to do with his plans to infiltrate City Hall? I was getting sick of all the questions.

Ray and Gavin were supportive through the whole thing, claiming that Ryan seduced me so I would be blind from what was really happening. Eventually the cops decide I don’t know anything and leave me alone. Since then, I’ve been curled up on my bed or the couch, moping around. Ray and Gavin didn’t want me going to work so they’ve been playing babysitter. Hilda, Jack and Geoff had been over constantly too, wanting to know everything that happened and wanting to make sure I was okay.

After a while I stopped constantly checking my phone, hoping for a call or text from him. There was still a huge, city wide search going for him and I doubted the police would stop it now. Ray and Gavin had been in and out, trying to help in any way they could. It wasn’t until a few days later that the news lit up. The Mad King and his ‘Court’, as they were calling the people helping him, had managed to strike City Hall and get what they wanted.

“Bloody hell…” Gavin whispered as we watched the news.

“How did he get in?! There were cops crawling all over the place!” Ray yelled and banged his hand on the table.

“We gotta get down there!” Gavin jumped up. “They may need help! Kat…will you be okay?”

“Yeah, I’ve got Edgar,” I said, smiling up at him. He nodded and then both he and Ray headed to their rooms to change before bounding out of the apartment. I sighed and turned the TV off, instructing Edgar to power off for the night. I headed into my room, pulling my sweater over my head and tossing it to the floor. I located my PJs and slipped into them, getting ready for bed.

I practically fell onto my bed and burrowed under the covers, wanting to be with Ryan. My entire body was hurting because of how much I missed him. I just wanted some way to contact him, to make sure he was okay.

I fell into an uneasy sleep, my head filled with nightmares of Ryan getting caught or killed, of being torn away from me while I cried out for him. One particularly bad one had me bolting upright in bed, crying out as my heart raced and sweat formed on my skin. Suddenly, arms grabbed me from behind and I screamed again but was cut off by a hand clamping over my mouth. I tried fighting the person off of me but they had an iron tight grip.

“Katherine!” Ryan hissed in my ear. “Sweetheart, calm down. It’s me. It’s me, my love.”

“Ryan?!” I gasped and slumped against him.

“Hey,” he whispered and started stroking my hair. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I wanted to see you so badly but the cops are crawling the streets. I had to be careful.”

“Why are you here anyways?” I asked. “I would have expected you to lay low for a few days.”

“I had to see you,” he replied. “I’ve been going crazy these past few weeks. I was constantly worried about you and what was happening. But I’m here now and I’m taking you with me.”

“What?”

“We did it!” Ryan grinned. “We have everything in place. All that’s left now is to hold a town meeting, which will be easy to do. This is it Katherine. This is the moment we change the world!” He crashed his lips to mine, holding me against him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back just as passionately. I start tugging at his shirt, wanting it off, but Ryan grabs my hands and pulls away. “Now right now. Your friends could be back any second.” He gets off the bed and pulls me up with him.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“I’m kidnapping you,” he replied, grinning. “Leave Edgar. It’ll look more convincing.” Ryan opened my bedroom window again and we helped me out. “I’ll be just a second.” He disappeared from the window and I heard things crashing throughout the apartment. The hell was he doing? He popped back into the window and climbed out. “Okay, we can go now.”

“What were you doing?” I asked.

“This is a kidnapping,” he replied. “I have to make it look like there was a struggle. How else could you fake your innocence?” He grabbed my hand and led me down the fire escape stairs and into the back alley where a car was waiting for us. We got in and he sped away, heading for the city limits. I ended up dozing a bit, it being the middle of the night and all, and missed most of the drive out to wherever we were going. Ryan gently shook me awake as he pulled into a driveway. I cracked my eyes open, sunlight starting to show, and saw a really beautiful house, surrounded by trees.

“Really? Another grandma house in the middle of the woods? What are you, Little Red Riding Hood?” I asked sleepily, causing Ryan to laugh.

“I’ve missed that,” he sighed. “Why did I let you talk me into leaving you?”

“Because it was the smart thing to do,” I replied. I got out of the car and followed him into the house. “How far away are we from town?” I asked.

“A few hours,” Ryan said, unlocking the door. “Actually, this is closer to another city so I figured it would be better. Now.” He closed the door behind us and pushed me up against the wall. “I’m in need of my girlfriend’s attention.” His lips connected to mine as his hands slid up my shirt and cupped my breasts. He pulled away so he could remove my shirt and bra before coming back for another kiss, his hands roaming over every inch of me.

“Ryan,” I gasped as he moved down to my neck and nipped at the skin. He picked me up bridal style and carried me upstairs to a bedroom, laying me down on the bed and crawling over me. He grinded his hips into me and I moaned, my hands traveling down to his pants to start undoing them. He sat back and helped me, pulling my pants off as well. When we were both completely naked, he wasted no time in sliding into me. I arched my back and moaned loudly as he began to move, slowly at first but then picking up speed. My head was swimming from the feeling of him inside me, his moans only fueling the fire.

“Fuck baby,” he gasped. “I’ve missed you so much.” He started thrusting deeper and I nearly lost it. His hands seemed to be everywhere and when he reached between our bodies and started rubbing that bundle of nerves, I fell over the edge. I practically screamed his name as I came, Ryan close behind me. We lay there, panting, for a few moments before Ryan rolled off of me and gathered me in his arms.

“Can we promise to never stay away from each other for this long?” I asked, cuddling closer. “I can’t take the constant pain of missing you.”

“I’m so sorry baby,” Ryan whispered, kissing the top of my head. “I promise. After this, we are never parting again. Now get some sleep. You’re probably exhausted.” I nodded and closed my eyes, slipping into an easy sleep.

When I woke up, Ryan was gone and there were fresh clothes at the end of the bed. I found the bathroom and had a shower before changing and heading downstairs. Ryan was in the kitchen, making breakfast and watching TV. The news was on and I saw a picture of me flash on the screen.

“Guess the guys found I was gone,” I said, going to stand beside Ryan.

“Mmhmm.” He was making French toast and sausages, my favorite. “They won’t find you though.”

“They will when you decide to move this plan of yours forward,” I said.

“By then, my dear, it will be too late,” Ryan replied. “The city will be well under our control and we’ll be safe from any danger they may pose. Now, I need to ask you something.” He grabbed plates from one of the cupboards and started loading them up with food.

“What’s up?” I grabbed my plate and heading for the dining table, taking a seat across from him.

“Well, it doesn’t make sense for a King to rule his kingdom without a Queen,” Ryan started. I stared at him, waiting. If he was going to ask what I thought he was going to ask…“I’m not asking anything right now, I just want you to think about it.”

“You…want to…marry me?” I asked slowly. He nodded.

“Only if you want too, though,” he added. “I don’t want to force you into it if you aren’t ready yet. I can wait for as long as you need me to.” I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. “Just think about it? I would be the happiest man in the world if you said yes.” I just nodded and turned to my food, my appetite suddenly gone.

Marriage…it was something I never thought of. Guys never looked at me and I never saw myself with anyone…except Ryan. He’s the first guy to make me feel the way I do but still…it hasn’t been very long. Would he think it was a mistake later on? If he does accomplish this goal of his then what’s to stop him from moving on to someone better? What if…what if I’m not what he needs? He’s proven to me time and time again that he loved me but people go mad with power sometimes and they could change overnight.

I knew I was being an idiot, that no matter what Ryan would stay by my side but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was never good enough for him. Hopefully, in time, I would come to believe it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter but fun things to come!


	11. Happily Never After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan's plan is moving forward and Katherine is ready but everyone else has other plans

As the days went on, it felt like no time was passing in the house. There was just Ryan and I. We’d spend the day either talking or taking walks, he’d make dinner and then he’d take me to bed where hardly any sleep was done. It was nice, it was simple and I loved it. I didn’t want it to end, I wanted the two of us to stay there forever. We wouldn’t have to worry about evil plans or getting caught or anything else.

“Darling,” Ryan kissed my shoulder. “I got a call from the others. They’re ready to move forward.”

“Do we have to go back?” I sighed. “Can’t we just stay here?”

“I wish we could,” he replied. “When all of this is done I promise to bring you somewhere quiet, just the two of us, and we can stay there for as long as you want.”

“I’m holding you to that,” I told him. Ryan smiled and gave me a soft kiss.

“The others will be here shortly and then we’re heading back,” he informed me before getting up from the couch. “They’ll bring everything we need, we’ll run over the plan, and then we’re ending this.”

“The cops will shoot you on sight you know,” I said, stretching.

“They won’t have a chance,” Ryan smirked. “As we speak, the police are being dealt with.”

“I’m scared,” I whispered. Ryan’s smirk fell and he turned serious, returning to the couch and kneeling in front of me.

“I promise everything will be okay,” Ryan said, grabbing my hands and pressing kisses to them. “This will work and we’ll be safe.” I nodded and Ryan gathered me up in his arms, holding me tightly until the others showed up.

 

“So,” one of Ryan’s scientists held up a vial of clear liquid. “This is the antidote to the mind controlling. It will strengthen your mind and make you immune to the power of the device. We’ve all taken it, it’s completely safe and it works.” I stared at the vial, a trickle of fear running down my spine. They were going to inject it via a needle, which are never fun, and I wasn’t too keen on getting it done. Ryan took the vial from the scientist and filled the needle with the liquid, holding his hand out to me. I bit my lip and held my arm out for him. He grabbed it and, giving me a reassuring smile, injected the antidote. I winced at the sting of the needle and took a deep breath.

“It will take a few minutes to reach the brain,” the scientist continued. “Once there, you won’t feel anything. We’ll test the device out, make sure your body is accepting it, and then we can leave.” I nodded and he moved away to talk to the others who had shown up. Ryan sat beside me at the dining table, his hand clutching mine has he ran his thumb over my skin.

“How you holding up?” Ryan asked me.

“I’m alright,” I shrugged.

“It’s almost over,” Ryan said. I just nodded. After a few minutes, the scientists brought the device over and set it on the table. It was a black box with different buttons on it and some flashing lights. There was something that looked like it attached to your hand and it was connected by a wire.

“Okay,” the same scientist who had brought her the vial spoke up again. “So this is the mind controlling device. We’ll turn it up to half power and Ryan will try and get you to walk over to the couch, okay?” I nodded again and Ryan pressed a few buttons before connecting the attachment to his hand. At first I didn’t feel anything but then there was almost like a feather like tickle at the back of my head. It was weird and it spread to the rest of my head but I didn’t feel like doing anything.

“Well, it seems to be working,” Ryan said and turned the machine off. “That’s good. Everything else is ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then let’s go,” Ryan pulled me out of the chair and we headed outside where he helped me into his car. We took off towards town, the sun starting to set behind us. Ryan had explained that a meeting had been called and that everyone had to go. When we arrived, they would all be waiting at City Hall.

By the time we had reached the town, the sun had long since set. City hall was lit up as they pulled close to it, people turning to watch the car. As soon as Ryan stepped out, there was an alarmed murmur that went through the crowd. He had changed into his Mad King outfit, his golden crown sitting crookedly on his head, and it captured everyone’s attention. He walked around the car and opened the door, helping me out.

“Kat!?” I looked over and felt my heart fall. X-Ray and Vav were standing there, staring at me with wide eyes. I have them a sad smile and followed Ryan up to City Hall. A stage was set up with a microphone waiting for him.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Ryan greeted the crown when he got to the microphone. “Welcome to this most special night! I would like to introduce myself, for those who do not pay attention to the news. My name is Ryan Haywood or, as the police like to call me, Mad King. I am the former CEO of Monarch Labs.” I scanned the crowd and saw all my friends bunched together at the back, their faces filled with concern. “Tonight, my dear friends, is the night I change the world; starting with this town. You see, our countries are ruled by men who would rather see us burn to ashes before they changed the way of life for the greater good. We’re are billions of dollars in debt, we are constantly at war with each other, and those who say they care about us, are too busy playing God. So, I ask you this. Do you want to see this world changed?” Much to my surprise, people started nodding along. A few even voiced their agreement.

I looked to the side of the stage and saw the mind control device set up, one of the scientists wearing the hand attachment as he stared out at the crowd. Guess everybody was agreeing against their will. I looked back over to my friends and saw them staring in horror as everyone around them kept nodding along to what Ryan was saying. Why wasn’t it working on them?

“So, dear friends of mine!” Ryan said, drawing me back to what he was saying. “Will you help me make this change happen? We can crush the very government which is dragging us down and rebuild a better life; one without lies and deceit. We can raise the human race back to its golden days!” Cheering was starting to happen within the crowd and it kept growing louder as Ryan spoke. He looked back at me, grinning, but his grin faltered when he saw the worry on my face. X-Ray and Vav were making their way up to the stage, and they weren’t alone. Hilda, Geoff and Jack followed them. Ryan’s eyes followed to where I was staring and his face grew hard. Ryan glanced off to the side, where the mind control device was, and the scientist focused his entire attention on my friends but to no avail.

X-Ray and Vav hopped up onto the stage and took the microphone from Ryan.

“You really going to listen to him?!” X-Ray demanded. “He’s called Mad King for a reason! He wants to rule the world and make us all his slaves or something!”

“Not to mention he’s kidnapped our best friend, stolen from Monarch Labs and City Hall, and has probably lied through his teeth to everyone he’s ever met!” Vav added.

“Where’s the police when you need them?!” X-Ray demanded.

“Actually, the police are a bit tied up right now,” Ryan replied. “They won’t be joining us tonight.”

“Bloody hell!” Vav squawked. “He even attacked our own police force!”

“Attack is hardly the word for it!” Ryan said, his voice raising. I heard a yell and whirled around, seeing Geoff and Jack take down the scientist who had been using the device. While X-Ray and Vav had distracted us, Geoff and Jack snuck around. “No!” Ryan yelled, running for them. X-Ray and Vav stepped in front of him, holding him back. Ryan’s eyes met mine and he gave me a soft smile before X-Ray and Vav pulled him to the ground and handcuffed him. By then, Geoff had shut the device off and people were starting to come back to their normal selves. Hilda came running up to me with Orf beside her.

“Katherine!” She yelled and threw her arms around me. “Oh my God are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he? I swear he will pay for this!”

“I’m okay Hilda,” I said quietly. Sirens started going off in the distance so I could only assume someone had helped the cops out. Soon City Hall was surrounded and they were dragging Ryan away. He refused to look at me, his eyes staring blankly forward.

“Katherine,” one of the cops came up to me. “We’d like to take you to the station and ask some questions.”

“Of course,” I nodded. I followed them to a different cruiser and they took me to the police station. Ryan was pulled into one interrogation room and I was put into another. They made me wait for about five minutes before the Chief of Police, Burnie Burns, walked through the door.

“It pains me to see you here again, Katherine,” he said. “I know you had nothing to do with this but its how things work.”

“I understand,” I said quietly.

“So, wanna tell me where you’ve been the last couple of days?” Burnie asked.

“I…I’m not entirely sure,” I replied. “I was in a house but I have no idea what direction we went or came from.”

“He kept you blindfolded?” Burnie asked. I nodded.

“He did say it was closer to a different town, if that helps,” I added.

“That device he had,” Burnie said. “The mind controlling one. Did he use it on you at all?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “Maybe because he felt like he didn’t need to?”

“Why’s that?” Burnie asked.

“When you are unsure of whether or not your kidnapper will hurt you if you don’t comply, you tend to do everything they say,” I replied dryly. “I figured it’d be easier to just go along with it until I could get help.”

“That might have saved your life,” Burnie nodded. “Before we found out who Mad King was, X-Ray and Vav said you and Ryan were getting pretty close. Wanna talk about that?”

“He claimed to love me,” I said. “He told me that we would be happy together.”

“This must be hard on you,” Burnie said softly.

“I just wish I hadn’t been so stupid,” I whispered.

“Come with me,” Burnie said, standing up. I followed him into a room that was completely dark, save for the light that was coming through the one way mirror. On the other side was Ryan, talking to another cop. Burnie motioned for me to be quiet and to watch.

“Mr. Haywood,” the cop said. “Who is Katherine to you?”

“A means to an end,” Ryan shrugged. “She helped me get where I am today.”

“And why would she do that? Surely she must have known the danger you were putting everyone in.”

“Actually, no,” Ryan grinned. “I lied to her the whole time. I told her the weapon would be for military use only.” Ryan snorted.

“And what about your relationship with her?”

“Relationship?” Ryan repeated. “That was all part of the lie. I find women are more likely to follow me if they think feelings are involved. Katherine was just too easy to fool, the poor thing.”

“And what happened in these past few days? Where did you take her?”

“A safe house,” Ryan shrugged. “I needed to keep up the act that I still loved her, still wanted to be with her. However, after she found out who I was I knew she wouldn’t come willingly.”

“So you kidnapped her.”

“Yup,” Ryan nodded. “Kidnapped her, made her think I wanted to marry her, and then came back here.”

“You purposed to her?”

“Sort of. I didn’t give her a ring or anything. Just told her the option was there,” Ryan replied.

“And how did Katherine react?”

“Scared,” Ryan recalled. He kept his face neutral but his eyes betrayed his true feelings. He was actually worried about how I had acted, that I might still refuse him. “Repulsed. She looked at me with complete hatred as soon as the words left my mouth.”

“Are you so surprised?” The cop asked. “You’re a monster, Mr. Haywood. A monster who will be put away for a very long time.” Two guards came in then and dragged Ryan away.

“Why did you let me see that?” I asked quietly.

“Because I figured you had the right to know,” Burnie said, just as quietly. “Ryan Haywood is manipulative and can make people believe whatever he wants them to believe.” I nodded and followed him out of the room to where my friends were waiting. Gavin and Ray took me home, neither of them saying anything. Edgar greeted me as I walked inside and I gave his head a small pat before moving to my room. I didn’t care that it was still a mess, I just headed straight for bed and burrowed under the covers.

“Kat?” Gavin poked his head in. “Want some tea?”

“Sure,” I replied. I curled onto my side and buried my hands under my pillow, feeling a piece of paper there. Confused, I sat up and moved my pillow, seeing a letter with my name on it. I grabbed it and opened it up, seeing Ryan’s familiar handwriting.

_My dearest Katherine,_

_If you are reading this, then our forever didn’t happen. I was caught and am now probably sitting in a cell, awaiting my sentence. I am going to lie about everything that you did to them. Your name shall be clear and you may walk away a free woman. It will pain me to never see your beautiful face again, to hear your voice or feel your soft kiss. At least I will have the memories of our time together burned into my mind so that I am not so lonely at night._

_However, as you know, I hate giving up so easily. Darling, my employees who escaped were given instructions. They are to meet at a safe place in town where they will discuss my release. If you so choose, you may go to them and help them. We can be together again and we can leave this city behind and find someplace new, someplace where we won’t be disturbed._

_I will understand if you are not with them the night of my escape. If you would rather live a simple and uncomplicated life, then I will remove myself completely, although it may very well kill me to do so. I just want you to remember something; I love you. You are my entire reason for existence and I am so glad I was able to meet you._

_With all my heart,_

_Ryan._

Taped to the bottom of the page was a ring. It was beautiful; a gold band with a diamond on top surrounded by sapphires. Beside that was an address to the safe house where the others would meet. I took the ring off the paper and slid it onto my hand, watching as the gems sparkled in the light. Sighing, I knew that my decision was already made. I didn’t take anything with me, I didn’t leave a note and I didn’t hesitate as I slipped out of my window and down to the alley below. With Ryan’s letter safely tucked away in my pocket, I headed for the safe house and for my new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, the first chapter of Katherine's life comes to an end. What will happen next, you may wonder. Fear not! She shall return soon!


End file.
